


starcrossed

by Vitexy



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Injury, Breaking Up & Making Up, Established Relationship, Hunter!San, Hunter!Seonghwa, Hunters & Hunting, If you like skz i'm sorry, M/M, Mermaid!Wooyoung, Minor Character Death, Minor Stray Kids, Werewolf!Yunho, fairy!Hongjoong, warlock!yeosang
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:55:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 103,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25007287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vitexy/pseuds/Vitexy
Summary: San is a hunter. Yunho is a werewolf. There is no happy ending for them, is there?
Relationships: Choi San/Jeong Yunho, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 73
Kudos: 269





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This will be continued but the format of how I'm going to do that I haven't decided yet. I originally imagined it as, like, two parts or two acts, but I really want to try and explore Seongjoong as a pair this time, but need to work on writing them because I have zero head canons for them. Especially in this setting. Who ships them and wants to help me? lol 
> 
> Also, please note that I don't really view San's family anything like how they're written. It's purely for plot reasons and they can be entirely different people idgaf whatever makes you feel better. I'm certain his sister and dad are total sweethearts <3

San hums a little tune to himself as he digs through his drawers for a black shirt to go with his dark pants, hips swaying along to the beat that falls from his lips as he pulls out a fitted T-shirt. He just received a text from Seonghwa a few minutes ago that they secured intel on a loose fae. San’s father requested he join in on the hunt. It’s supposed to be his night off, and, truthfully, San was looking forward to spending his night off with his boyfriend, but a job is a job, and he’s a little too scared to deny his father anything. 

Still humming to himself, he peels off his ratty night shirt to slip into the black one as the door of the bedroom swings open. San’s gaze travels over to it, lips pulling up into a smile when he spots Yunho in his matching pajama set, face a little damp from being freshly washed and his cheeks a pretty pink color from the warm water. Yunho pauses when he eyes San’s outfit, his own lips falling into a frown. 

“Going somewhere?” he asks, glancing over to the digital clock he has posted on the nightstand. 

“I got called in,” San replies. He has the decency to at least look apologetic. 

Yunho’s frown doesn’t abate, clearly disappointed that San will be leaving this late at night. “Do you have to go?” he asks, lips forming into a pout when San shakes his head. 

“Guy called out. They need help to cover the shift,” the blond lies seamlessly while brushing his bangs away from his face. San told Yunho he worked night shifts as a bartender. It’s not entirely a lie, although it’s not entirely the truth either. At the very least, San knows how to make a decent cocktail. Besides, it’s not like he could just come out and tell the truth either. He can only imagine Yunho’s alarm if he were to find out that San actually spends his work nights out hunting down monsters, so he lets his boyfriend believe he works a typical night shift job. Yunho doesn’t like it anyways, always worried for San’s safety since nighttime is when the supernatural come out to play. 

They’ve had plenty of arguments about San taking up a day time job like a normal person, but San isn’t really normal. 

“I’ll be safe!” San promises when Yunho stares at him quietly. He knows how to look after himself.

“I don’t like this,” Yunho tells him, making his way over to the bed. He collapses down on top of it, shaking the excess water from his hair. “You were supposed to be off tonight.” 

The blond rolls his eyes, trying to wave off Yunho’s concern. “I know, but a job is a job. I’ve been doing this for years! Before we even met, you know? I know how to stay safe.” 

Yunho presses his lips into a thin line, his brown hair—damp with water—falling into his large eyes. San has always loved his eyes. They’re big and round, his irises a pretty hazel color. The brunette has this way of looking at San too, like a little puppy, and the blond almost always swoons when he does it. Almost because Yunho tries doing it now, pouting at his boyfriend and widening his eyes in a pleading expression, but San refuses to give in. 

“I’ll be fine,” the blond answers confidently, placing his hands on his hips. “Do you want to walk me there?” 

Yunho perks up at the suggestion. If San refuses to stay home for the night, he figures it’s the least he can do. He’s walked the blond over to the restaurant a plenty of times before. “Sure,” he agrees eagerly. 

“I was joking,” San sighs with a little shake of his head. “You’re already in your pajamas and everything.” 

“I can change.” Yunho sulks. 

“Stop worrying so much. I can take care of myself, and you know it,” San reassures him for what feels like the millionth time. He walks over to the bed, placing his hands on Yunho’s shoulders. He plays with the collar of the brunette’s striped pajamas, and the corners of his lips tug up into an affectionate smile. “How long have I been working this shift? And I’ve never had an incident.” 

“I know, but I still worry,” Yunho protests. He reaches up to place his hands on top of San’s, holding him there. “Just because you haven’t had a run in with a vampire yet doesn’t mean that there won’t be one that tries tonight.” 

San smiles, pleased with his boyfriend’s concern in spite of their bickering. If he could, he’d let Yunho know that he had had run-ins with vampires every now and again. Only difference was that San was always the one walking away from those encounters alive. 

“What if I call you as soon as I get there?” San suggests, pulling away reluctantly. Yunho keeps his hold on the blond’s hand, trying to pull him close, but San shakes him off. He reaches down to tuck his shirt into his pants. 

Yunho eyes the skin revealed by San’s deep v-cut shirt. “I’d prefer if you just stayed at home tonight,” the brunette says. 

“I know. I was supposed to be off today,” San acknowledges as he pulls on a jacket. Then he turns to Yunho, striding over to the taller man to cup his face in his palm. “But work is work. We could use some extra cash anyways.” Yunho doesn’t exactly make much money as a vet tech. San is indisputably the breadwinner between the two of them, but he doesn’t exactly work the most conventional of jobs. Still, between rent and utilities and the loan Yunho had to take out to pay for his schooling to become a vet tech, they’re not exactly swimming in cash. They’re comfortable but not safe. 

“Fine,” Yunho finally relents, shoulders slumping in defeat. “Call me when you get there.” 

San pushes himself up, catching Yunho’s lips in a short and sweet kiss. “Promise,” he says, fingers moving back to comb through Yunho’s hair. 

“Stay safe,” Yunho pleads when San pulls away from him. 

“I always have,” the blond says dismissively. He zips up his coat halfway as he slips past the brunette. “Don’t wait up for me. I’ll be late, so just get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.” 

Yunho nods his head obediently to San’s words, following the blond to the front door like a little puppy. He watches, a bit helplessly, as San slips into shoes. He knows San can take care of himself. Vampire attacks aren’t even all that common—the chances of it just exponentially increase at night. Still, he can’t help but worry. If he were at least with San, his presence would likely be enough to deter a vampire. 

San’s right though. He can’t stay up too late waiting for him because he has work in the morning. 

“Are you sure I can’t at least walk you there?” he tries one more time, lips pursing up into a little pout when San shakes his head. Yunho sighs, fidgeting with his fingers when San opens the door of their apartment. The blond offers him a little wave before he allows the door to swing shut behind him. 

  
  
  
  


Just as he promised, San sends Yunho a text as soon as he reaches the restaurant, shouldering open the door as he does so. Inside it’s noisy with patrons, and San lifts his hand in greeting to the hostess who tilts her head in acknowledgement before he heads to the back of the restaurant. His phone vibrates in his hand, and when San checks it, he sees Yunho’s response to him. 

_Stay safe_. 

He smiles at his boyfriend’s concerns before pocketing his phone in his back pocket. At the back of the restaurant is a door with the sign “Employees Only” which San pushes open. He sees Seonghwa lying on the couch back there, scrolling through his phone. He peers over it to look at San when the blond enters, and he immediately sits up, phone dropping into his lap. 

“Hey,” San greets his partner. 

“Hi. Sorry for bothering you on your day off,” Seonghwa says, swinging his feet over the edge of the couch to sit upright on it. 

“It’s fine,” the blond tells him, running his hands through his hair. He’s a hunter after all. He has a duty to fulfill even if it is supposed to be his day off. “So what’s this about a fae?” 

“Ah, right.” Seonghwa picks up his phone from his lap, scrolling through it. “We got the intel from your sister, actually.” San stiffens up at the mention of his sister, lips pressed together tight. She hadn’t said anything about it to him, so why did Seonghwa know first? Oblivious to San’s internal strife, Seonghwa continues, “He’s got the same habits. He stops by a known warlock owned shop twice a week and goes to Vapor nightclub once a week. Presumably to hunt for his victims.” 

San furrows his eyebrows together. “He does this consistently?” he asks. Faes aren’t exactly known for sticking to predictable habits, and even if they did, they usually sent in different members of their court to avoid detection. 

“Odd, right?” Seonghwa responds, pushing himself up to his feet. “We don’t know what he does. Your sister always loses him in the club.” San frowns. That doesn’t sound like his sister at all. She isn’t trained as a hunter, but she’s well trained and equipped for gathering intel and acting as bait. “It sounds like he uses heavy glamour. And a lot of it,” Seonghwa adds. 

San cups his chin in his hand. “That is strange.” Just a lone fae is bizarre enough. San and Seonghwa are usually hunting down vampires or putting down mutts who have lost control of themselves to the pull of the full moon. Faes usually strayed away from humans. 

“Yeah, and tonight is the night he always goes to Vampor. So you down?” Seonghwa asks, stuffing his hands into his jean pockets. 

“Always,” San agrees. 

Vapor nightclub is on the other side of town from the restaurant, so Seonghwa drives them there after they’re all geared up and ready to go. The thing about Vapor is that it’s really just a normal nightclub, maybe on the more high end and well kept establishes, but still a perfectly ordinary club. Hunters have tabs on almost all the businesses owned and operated by any non-human creatures, and Vapor isn’t one of them. San can’t help but feel bothered by the whole thing. Something smells fishy about this fae. Why would he visit the same place weekly? To hunt? But faes weren’t exactly known for predatory hunting behaviors. They were more opportunistic hunters, preying on humans that stumbled across them accidentally. 

San scans the dark club once they’re inside, slipping out a pair of glasses from his pocket and sliding them on. He glances back to Seonghwa who’s also sporting his own pair of glasses. They’re enchanted with magic, used to help them better see through glamours. 

Seonghwa tilts his head towards the bar to indicate that he’ll take that area. San nods his head, heading towards the dance floor instead. The blond pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose before he moves onto his hair, messing it up to give himself some sex appeal. The tactic typically works on vampires who view targets like that as easy prey. Fairies were a little more picky, though San has had enough luck with this strategy that it’s easy and comfortable to fall back on. His eyes scan over the crowd before him as his body slowly moves to the beat of the music. All he sees are perfectly normal humans, so he glances over to the bar to make sure Seonghwa remains in sight. 

San sticks with his cover, dancing along with and between the crowd as he keeps an eye out for anyone suspicious. Although he finds this fae’s behavior suspect, he trusts his sister’s intel. Every once in a while, he catches a glimpse of his partner at the bar. Seonghwa is sipping on something—definitely not water so as not to draw suspicion but unlikely to be alcoholic either. Seonghwa wouldn’t be so irresponsible. 

Hands move over San’s waist, and he moves away from the touch. His body sways to the music, but he doesn’t spot anyone suspicious. He doesn’t even catch a glimpse of a shimmery glamour. Chewing on the inside of his cheek, San tries not to regret the fact that he chose not to stay home. He could have been all curled up in his boyfriend’s arms by now, but here he is trying to blend into a noisy crowd while hunting down a fae who isn’t showing his face. 

He looks for Seonghwa again. When their eyes meet, Seonghwa jerks his chin towards the figure standing in front of him, and San finally notices that his partner has been engaged in conversation. San keeps his body moving as his eyes drop down to the figure in front of Seonghwa. The air around him glimmers, and when San narrows his eyes to focus on him, he can just barely make out the wings sprouting from his shoulder blades. They’re gray and decayed looking with little holes and tears in them. 

San nearly stops in his tracks at the sight of them. They’re not like anything San has seen before, but they’re unmistakably a sign of a fae. They found their target. 

Seonghwa turns his attention back to the fae, a charming smile on his face. San wonders how he even managed to tangle the fae up in a conversation. Fairies rarely found humans to be interesting. Weaving his way through the crowd, San slips the glasses from his face and tucks them neatly back into his pocket, worried it might tip off the fae. 

“Seonghwa,” he calls for his partner, stumbling into his side like he just found him. He pretends to notice the fae’s presence for the first time, blinking at him in shock. “Oh. Who’s this?” 

The fae smiles at him, though the expression doesn’t reach his eyes. He makes a strange expression that only lasts for a split second, but San can’t quite place what that look was. “This is Hongjoong,” Seonghwa introduces, keeping up the charade. Then he motions to San. “This is my friend, San.” 

The fae maintains his polite smile, although his focus seems entirely redirected to San who suppresses the urge to flinch under his gaze. Something is off. San feels it in his gut, but he doesn’t know what it is. Seonghwa doesn’t seem to pick up on it though, drawing the fae’s attention back to him as he continues to chat him up. San scans their surroundings in the meantime. They’ll need to find a place to isolate him away from the rest of the patrons. 

Subtly, he tries to feel out his pockets, double checking where he hid all his weapons. He plays the awkward third wheel perfectly, smiling whenever Seonghwa addresses him before going back to looking like he’d rather be anywhere else as he hunts for the easiest and most discreet exit.

“Do you work here?” Hongjoong asks the blond, interrupting Seonghwa in the middle of his sentence. He twirls a strand of his red hair around a finger and grins at San.

Both hunters go silent as San whips his head around to stare at him. He frowns at the question. Does it look like he works here? Hongjoong just smiles at him like he knows something that San doesn’t, and goosebumps prickle across the hunter’s skin as a result. “No,” he answers. The feeling of dread returns. 

The fae’s smile stays in place though his eyes move between both hunters. Seonghwa doesn’t seem very alarmed by the question though, so San convinces himself that everything is fine. “Why? Was there something that you needed?” he jokes to play it off. 

Hongjoong shakes his head, covering his smile with his hand. “No, it was my bad,” he dismisses. He sighs, dropping his hand from his mouth. “I suppose I must have had a little too much to drink.” 

San makes a noise of understanding while glancing over to Seonghwa. The older hunter meets his eyes before quickly turning away. Seonghwa finally seems to have become suspicious as well. They’ll need to strike soon, otherwise they risk allowing him to escape. 

Just as the blond thinks this, Hongjoong bows his head and attempts to excuse himself. “Sorry,” he apologizes to Seonghwa though his eyes stray back over to San. The blond hunter tries not to fidget under his gaze, wondering why the fae seems so interested in him. “It was nice chatting with you, but I’m afraid I have to meet with someone.” 

Seonghwa maintains his charming smile through his suspicions. “Of course,” he agrees. “I should be the one apologizing for taking up so much of your time.” 

“No need to apologize,” Hongjoong assures him, eyes once again moving to San, and his smile seems to sharpen. “It was nice meeting you.” 

San forces himself to stay relaxed, returning Hongjoong’s predatory smile with a sweet one of his own. “You too. I hope you’re not just leaving because of me though.” His gaze moves pointedly between Seonghwa and Hongjoong. “I’d feel bad if I ruined your fun.” 

“Of course not. If you would excuse me though.” The fae tilts his head as if to say goodbye before he takes a few steps away from the hunters. He turns his back to them when there’s a healthy distance between them and calmly walks off towards the dance floor. 

“Something is not right,” San says as Seonghwa sets his drink down on the bar counter. The older hunter shoots him a look, motioning for San to follow him as they stalk after the fae. Hesitantly, the blond follows Seonghwa’s lead despite his gut feeling telling him that he shouldn’t. “Tell me you don’t think he’s suspicious,” he hisses to Seonghwa when the elder doesn’t acknowledge his earlier sentiment. 

Seonghwa hums, keeping his eyes trained on Hongjoong’s back. The fae doesn’t even pause, turning to head towards the exit, and Seonghwa narrows his eyes. “He’s a fae. Of course he’s suspicious.” 

“Why’s he leaving?” San asks, watching in alarm as their target heads for the exit. 

“Who cares? It makes the job easier,” Seonghwa tries to reassure him. 

San still feels doubt tug at his stomach. Something’s off about this hunt. San can’t pinpoint exactly what it is, but he would call off the hunt at this point if it were up to him. Unfortunately, he has a senior partner he has to defer to. “Seonghwa,” he reaches for the older man’s arms when they reach the door. 

“We’re going to lose him,” his partner dismisses him, shrugging San’s hand from his arm as he ducks out of the club. Sighing, San follows after him, watching as Seonghwa looks around for the fae. The blond spots a figure rounding the corner of the block and points it out to Seonghwa. Wordlessly, the elder stalks after the fae, leaving San to catch up to him. 

“Seonghwa, please,” the blond says in a hushed voice. 

“What is it?” Seonghwa asks as they near the street corner Hongjoong disappeared around. 

San scans their surroundings. There’s not a lot of people out and about at this time of night, although this particular street is seeing a bit of traffic as patrons enter and exit the nightclub. “I’m telling you, something isn’t right about that fae,” San insists. They turn the corner, spotting the fae a safe distance from them. San notes, however, that there’s much less foot traffic along this street. 

“Like what?” Seonghwa asks, keeping his voice low as the hunters stalk their prey from a safe distance. They really only need to go about another block or so before they could safely pounce. Normally San’s blood would be pumping at this point. He’d be taking stock of his weapons, keeping an eye on their surroundings, and going through the best way to quickly kill a fae by now—a deep slice or stab through the throat with an iron blade. They wouldn’t even be able to let out a scream that way. 

As it were, San can’t focus on any of that, too absorbed in the jittery feeling in his stomach. The blond can’t remember the last time he ever felt this way on a hunt. Scared. Uncertain. Not since the time he first started and had been bitten by a vampire who snuck up on him while he waited for Seonghwa maybe. San had just been a newly fledged hunter back then though, just barely eighteen, and he’s carefully cultivated his confidence since then. 

San struggles to explain his reservations about their current situation. His lips part and then uselessly form soundless words. It’s a gut feeling. That’s the problem. And a gut feeling won’t be enough to deter Seonghwa. “His wings,” he finally says. It’s not really what set off San’s suspicions, but it’s definitely something they can both agree upon is weird. 

Seonghwa stutters in his steps, shooting San a look. “His wings?” he repeats. 

The blond nods his head. His real misgivings stemmed from all the odd looks the fae had given him over the course of the night. “Fairy wings aren’t like that. They’re supposed to be pretty and elegant. I’ve never seen wings like that before.” 

“I don’t understand what you’re worried about,” Seonghwa tells him as they cross the street to the next block. Hongjoong remains ahead of them, unaware of the hunters stalking him from behind. “You’re scared because his wings are abnormal?” 

“Well, I mean, not just because of that. I’m just saying there’s something off about him. This could be dangerous,” San argues. 

Hongjoong turns at the next intersection while Seonghwa pauses, turning around to grab San by the shoulder. “What would you have us do then? Call off the hunt?” he asks, tilting his head to the side. “What would you suggest we tell your father then?” 

San shudders at the mention of the man, taking a step back from his partner. “Okay,” he says, the fear of having to face his father outweighing his concern of the fae. “You’re right. Sorry.” 

“Hey,” Seonghwa pats him on the shoulder, “we got this. I know we usually target vampires, but you know how to take care of a fae. Don’t pretend that you can’t do this. His wings don’t mean anything, alright?” 

The blond nods his head as Seonghwa pulls back, jogging a few steps to catch up to Hongjoong. San reaches into his coat pocket for his sheathed blade as he tries to calm his racing heart. Seonghwa is probably right. Perhaps the blond is just a little bit unnerved because it’s been awhile since they’ve hunted a fae. They’re not any more scary than a vampire, he assures himself. In fact, in many ways fairies could be much crueler than any vampire.

The hand holding his blade trembles, and San reaches up to grasp it with his other hand, holding it still. He trails after his partner, taking in deep breaths as they reach the end of the block. Seonghwa turns the corner first, San just a few paces behind him, but his partner releases a cry of surprise that has San rushing the rest of the way. Breaths picking up, San rounds the corner only to come to a complete stop when he sees Hongjoong on top of his partner. 

He must have been lying in wait, jumping on top of Seonghwa as soon as he rounded the corner. He must have knocked the hunter to the ground when he jumped him. San’s fear quickly turns to red hot anger, though, as he watches Seonghwa trying to pry the fae off of him. “Hey!” he yells, unsheathing his knife and rushing towards Hongjoong. 

The red head lifts his head up to hiss at San, baring a set of sharpened teeth at the hunter. His glamour is still mostly intact, but it slips just enough to reveal his true appearance. Gasping, San abruptly halts, looking from Hongjoong to Seonghwa and taking note of the set of bite marks on Seonghwa’s shoulder and he grimaces. It wouldn’t kill. Fae bites were rarely fatal, but it would poison. San could already see the effects of it in the way Seonghwa was sweating, chest heaving. 

Hongjoong shoves Seonghwa away from him before turning tail to run. San cries out in alarm, lunging forward to chase him before he catches himself. First things first, he needs to watch out for his partner. He stops next to Seonghwa, bending down to check on the elder who clutches his shoulder and groans. Fae poison might not be fatal, but it is unpleasant, causing its victims to hallucinate for a few hours which is usually enough to incapacitate if not outright kill them. 

“I’m fine,” Seonghwa wheezes out even though he’s clearly not. His face is covered in a thin sheen of sweat, his pupils blown wide as he struggles to pick himself up. “Catch him. You have to catch him.” 

“But you’re—” 

“He’s on his own. He doesn’t have backup, and I got him in the leg.” Seonghwa drags himself over towards the wall, so he can prop himself up. San looks down, seeing Seonghwa’s knife on the ground, the blade covered in a thin layer of dark green blood. “San, you have to finish this.” 

The blond hesitates. He wants to stay and help his partner. His instincts tell him to stay here, but San also knows Seonghwa is right. They can’t just allow Hongjoong to get away like this. “Okay,” he agrees when Seonghwa shoves him forward with another command. “Okay, just don’t move. I’ll come back for you.” 

Leaving Seonghwa behind, San takes off after the fae. It’s easy to follow after him, a trail of green shimmery blood spattered across the pavement—probably from the wound Seonghwa managed to inflict on him. San pushes his pace, eyes scanning the pavement for fae blood every few seconds to check its tracks. It doesn’t take long for him to catch up to the red head, Hongjoong limping away from him. He whips his head around when San approaches, his glamour still mostly in place although the hunter can see bits of it beginning to fade away, his teeth still sharp and the whites of his eyes taking on a much darker hue. 

San’s expression turns grim as he eyes the fae before him. Without the glamour, Hongjoong looks just as he should. Like a monster. With a little shout, San pounces on him. Hongjoong grunts, lifting a hand up to claw at the hunter’s face as he tries to catch him, and they both tumble to the ground. San pins Hongjoong to the ground, lifting his knife up to brandish it. 

Hongjoong swings his elbow up, catching San on his cheek and knocking the hunter to the side. San goes down with a yelp, wincing when he scrapes his face and arm against the pavement. He scrambles back to his feet quickly, tightening his grip on the hilt of his knife. Hongjoong struggles onto his feet as well, baring his teeth at the hunter. It’s clear to both of them now that Hongjoong is more seriously injured than the fae likely anticipated. He’s also at a huge disadvantage because of it. 

San twirls his knife in his hand once, lowering himself into a fighting stance. Panting, Hongjoong eyes the hunter warily, trying to back away from him. Taking a fight with the hunter right now is the last thing that he wants to do. San, on the other hand, wants this fight. The opportunity is perfect. He has the upper hand right now. So long as he avoids a bite from Hongjoong, he should win. 

“I didn’t do anything!” the fae shouts at him when San steps towards him. “You’re going to kill me for no reason?” 

San startles at the accusation, pausing to stare at the red head incredulously. “No reason? You’re a fae mixing into human society. That alone makes you a danger.” 

“A danger? Shouldn’t I have to kill someone first to be considered that? I’m just trying to go about my business.” 

San’s lips twitch in annoyance. “You go to Vapor once a week. Without fail. Why?” 

Hongjoong curls into himself defensively, glowering at the hunter. “I’m not hunting any humans—” 

“Its customer base is human,” San cuts him off. “If you’re not hunting humans then what are you doing there?” 

The fae presses his lips together into a tight line. The way he leans his weight on his uninjured leg doesn’t escape the hunter’s notice, and Hongjoong trembles as he eyes the blade in the hunter’s hand. Finally the fae says, “It’s none of your business.” 

San lifts the knife up so that Hongjoong can clearly see it. “Fine. I don’t really need to know anyway,” he answers. 

Hongjoong stiffens, his pupils dilating as his eyes zero in on the knife. San moves towards him, quickly closing the gap between them. Futilely, the fae attempts to limp away from him, cringing every time the glint of iron catches on one of the street lights. Don’t hesitate, San chants in his head. He can’t afford to hesitate. Seonghwa told him to finish the job, so he has to do this. 

“Don’t do this, Choi San,” Hongjoong says, holding his hands up in surrender. 

The hunter stops in his steps, blood running cold. “What did you call me?” he asks slowly. 

Hongjoong looks at him, eyes moving between the knife and his face. “Your name. Your friend told me, remember?” 

San lowers the knife a little, posture becoming defensive instead. “No, he told you my name,” the blond recalls, thinking about the moment when Seonghwa introduced them to each other. “You called me by my full name.” 

Hongjoong’s lips curl up into a grin, realizing that he now has the upper hand on the hunter. “Does that bother you?” he asks. 

San shivers at the questions. It’s bad enough that Hongjoong knows his full name when he shouldn’t; it’s infinitely worse that he’s a fae. Names hold power for some creatures, warlocks and faes in particular. So how did Hongjoong know his? 

“How do you know my name?” he asks, voice hoarse. He lifts his knife up threateningly when Hongjoong leans in towards him. The fae quickly pulls back again, though he maintains his reassured smile. 

“I know much more about you than you’d probably like,” Hongjoong answers carefully, watching the way San’s veins bulge against his forearm as his grip tightens on the hilt of the blade. He needs to play this carefully if he wants to live. “For example, I know all about that boy you live with.” The hunter sucks in a sharp breath at those words, his figure trembling. Hongjoong releases his own quiet breath, certain that he has the hunter around his finger. 

“If something were to happen to me,” the fae utters in a low voice, fixing San with a dark look, “my family would know where to look for retaliation.” 

“You leave him alone,” San growls. 

Hongjoong leans back when the hunter waves his knife around a little too threateningly. “Let me go,” he requests. “Let me live, and we can just forget about this. No harm, no foul, right?” 

San narrows his eyes at him, although he seems to think about it. Hongjoong watches the hunter carefully, keeping his expression carefully crafted. He can’t let the hunter see through his half-truths. Fairies cannot lie, but it didn’t mean they couldn’t mislead. 

“No,” the hunter determines with a shake of his head. “If I let you go, Yun—he’d be in danger anyways if you already know about him.” 

“No, no,” Hongjoong quickly denies, biting back a whimper when he has to limp away because San comes at him with the knife again. “I’m fae. I can’t lie! I promise to not to harm you or your little lover if you let me go.” 

“And your clan?” San asks. 

“I swear they will leave you alone.” 

The hunter glares at him, mulling over his words carefully. Slowly, he lowers his knife once again although he doesn’t sheath it, keeping Hongjoong on edge as he stares at the shiny metal blade. “How do you know who I am?” 

Hongjoong lifts his eyes up to meet San’s gaze, smiling secretively. “Shall we say I have inside sources?” 

San swallows thickly. 

When he returns to Seonghwa, still delirious from fae poison, the blond tells his partner that the fae got away and that he was sorry. “I failed,” he acknowledges with his head bowed. “This is on me. I’m sorry.” 

“Your dad,” Seonghwa manages to say after a few minutes of thinking about it. It’s hard to focus. The world is spinning, and he swears the street lights are dancing. San phones the restaurant to request someone come pick them up. Seonghwa wouldn’t be well enough to move for a few hours still. 

The blond winces at the reminder of his father. “It’s on me,” he reiterates, fisting his palms over his pants. He’ll take the fall for this one. Hongjoong should have been dead by now. If Seonghwa were in his right mind the fae _would_ be dead by now. San refuses to let his partner take the fall for him. 

Seonghwa stares at him, and even through the daze of fae poison San can see that he’s disappointed and confused. The blond tucks his chin to his chest. He has an explanation, of course, but nothing worth trying to defend. Hunters shouldn’t hesitate, and they definitely shouldn’t bargain, but San had done both, and he knew there would be hell to pay for it. 

  
  
  
  


When Yunho wakes up the next morning, San is tucked into bed next to him, fast asleep. The brunette smiles at the sight, running his fingers gently through San’s blond strands, scratching at his scalp. The younger barely even reacts to the action, and Yunho can’t help but smile a bit ruefully. It must have been a long shift last night. He leans down to press a kiss on top of the blond’s head before he slips out of bed. 

He takes a moment to pull the blanket back over San, tucking him in lovingly before he turns to their closet to grab a set of work clothes. After a quick shower, he changes clothes and heads for the kitchen to make himself breakfast and a coffee. San is unlikely to wake up before he leaves, but he can at least look forward to seeing the blond when he comes home. 

It’s difficult being in a relationship when they work opposite schedules like this. Aside from the few times a week they rarely have time to spend together, Yunho can’t help but be plagued with worries every time San leaves the house to go to work. Given the current climate, graveyard shifts are incredibly difficult to hire for, but they tended to pay quite handsomely—apparently to make up for the very real threat that you might just die on your way to or from work. 

Still, Yunho acknowledges that San has yet to encounter any problems since he started working night shifts. Perhaps Yunho is overthinking it or maybe hunters are just that efficient and good at their jobs. He frowns at the thought, eyes fixed on the tea kettle he placed on the stove. He understands the need for them, of course. Humans seem to be mother nature’s most stubborn of survivors, but he knows to steer clear of them less he wants to end up as roadkill. Are they necessary? Yunho can see it. Are they a bit overzealous? Well, he has a hard time believing every one of his kind is truly a threat to them. 

The tea kettle starts whistling, snapping Yunho from his thoughts as he snatches it from the stove and turns off the heat. Humming a little tune to himself, he goes about preparing his meal as quietly as he can so as not to disturb San’s sleep. God knows the blond needs as much of it as possible. 

He’s just finished making coffee in the small french press San bought him for Christmas once and is working on peeling a banana when San shuffles into the kitchen. “Can you make me a cup too?” he requests before stifling a yawn. 

Yunho jumps, turning around to face his boyfriend because he definitely hadn’t expected San to be up so early. “Yeah. Of course. Why are you up so—Oh, my God!” His question morphs into a cry of concern as Yunho stares at the blond, taking in his current state. 

“What?” San asks. 

Yunho just points. “Your face,” he mumbles, motioning to San’s bruised and scraped cheek. He hadn’t noticed it when he woke up because San must have been sleeping on that side of his face. 

“Oh.” The blond lifts a hand up to cup his cheek, wincing in pain when his fingers prod at his injury. “I forgot.” 

“You forgot?!” Yunho rushes over to him, hand hovering over his cheek, too scared to touch it and cause him more pain. “What happened?” 

“I slipped at work,” San says, still prodding at his cheek. “Scraped my cheek against the ground.”

“Why is it so bruised though?” 

“Ah. Well, I broke some glasses,” San laughs nervously, avoiding Yunho’s gaze. “You know how my father gets…” 

Yunho frowns, nose scrunching up in distaste. He’s never met San’s father, the blond refusing to introduce them for a variety of reasons. Yunho can’t say he really blames him. He doesn’t want to meet the man anyways. San described him as a strict and old fashioned sort of man. There’s not a lot they see eye to eye on, but the blond still works for him. Yunho is certain they wouldn’t get along either way. However, that doesn’t mean he understands why San still chooses to work for him. “He got mad about that?” 

San winces at the memory. Oh, he got mad alright. He’d been furious when San told him that the fae managed to get away from him, citing his concern for Seonghwa’s injury. “He’s always mad it feels like,” San says in defeat. 

“You don’t have to work for him,” Yunho tells him. “I can’t believe he hit you over some broken glasses. That can’t be legal to do that to an employee.” 

San shrugs his shoulders. “Well, he views me as family first and foremost.” 

“He’s paying you, isn’t he? He can’t treat you differently just because you’re his son too.” 

“Yunho,” San pleads in a strained voice. “I’m tired and my cheek hurts.” 

Sighing, the taller man guides San over to the table, setting him down in one of the chairs. “Fine,” he relents, albeit with the silent promise that this conversation isn’t over. It never really is. Yunho has always been quite vocal about his objection to San’s work place. The blond can only imagine how much more vocal he might become if San tells him what he’s really up to on his work nights. “I wish you would just trust me sometimes,” he mutters as he pulls away from San to head for their bathroom. 

He probably hadn’t intended for San to hear, just muttering his frustrations to himself under his breath, but the blond heard it anyways. San winces, staring at Yunho’s back as he disappears into their bathroom. It’s not that San doesn’t trust him. He just wants him to be safe. That’s why he took up his job as a hunter after all, to keep people safe. 

Yunho comes out a second later with their first aid kit in hand, the one San bought specifically for occasions like this. He sets it down on the table in front of San and opens it up. The blond follows every movement of Yunho’s hand as he sorts through the items in the box, pulling out a clean cotton pad and a small bottle of alcohol first. He wets the cotton round generously, lifting it up to San’s face as the blond pulls away from him, face scrunched up in a grimace. 

Yunho smiles at his behavior. “Come on, we need to clean it,” he coaxes, gently cupping San’s good cheek to tilt his head to the side. 

San’s lips quiver, but he doesn’t fight Yunho any further. The first press of the alcohol soaked cotton pad draws a pained little mewl from the blond, his eyes screwed shut at the sting against his scratched up cheek. “Ow, ow, ow,” he hisses, trying to pull away from Yunho, but the brunette’s hold on his other cheek keeps him in place. 

“You didn’t clean it at all when you got home, did you?” Yunho accuses him, gently blotting the scrape with the alcohol. 

“I was too tired,” San complains. 

“You have to take care of these things or they might get worse. You slept on it the whole night too,” Yunho scolds him. 

When he’s finished cleaning it, pulling the cotton pad away, San sighs in relief. Yunho tosses the dirty cotton pad onto the table, taking out a bandage large enough to cover the scrape. He puts the bandage on San’s cheek with care, gently pressing down to make sure it stays in place. 

“Thanks,” San says when Yunho is finished. 

The brunette gathers up all the garbage from the table and closes the lid of the first aid kit. “Keep your cheek iced for the next few days,” Yunho tells him. 

“I will.” San pouts as he stares up at Yunho like a scolded child, cupping his cheek in his hand. 

Smiling at him, Yunho reaches up to pull San’s hand away from his cheek. Then he leans over to place a little peck over the bandage he just put over the blond’s cheek. “You wanted a cup of coffee, right?” he asks as he pulls away. 

“Yes, please,” San says as Yunho turns back to the counter where he already has some coffee prepared, tossing the small fistful of garbage into the trash bin on the way. San slides the first aid kit to the side to make room to place his elbows on top of the table, leaning on them as he watches Yunho pour two cups of coffee for them. 

“Ah, what did I do to deserve such a perfect boyfriend?” San sighs when Yunho returns to the table with two cups of coffee and his banana, setting down one of the cups in front of San before reaching out to ruffle his blond hair. 

“What do you mean? What did I do to deserve you?” Yunho coos back. 

San swats him away. “Oh, come on. I work nights as a bartender. What’s great about that?” he jokes, eyeing the fruit in Yunho’s hand. “Shouldn’t you eat more than that? You need to eat a full breakfast before you work.” 

“I’m running a little late, and this is more than enough,” Yunho says, waving his banana. San frowns, but can’t argue when he checks the time. Yunho is usually out of the house by eight in the morning which means he only has about ten minutes left before he needs to leave. The brunette downs the coffee and his banana at rapid speed, and San follows him to the door to see him off with his own coffee in hand. 

“Have a good day at work,” San says. 

“I will.” Yunho slips his shoes on before he turns to face San. “Do you work tonight too?” San nods his head with a hum. He looks cozy, leaning against the wall by the door wearing one of Yunho’s worn out sweaters. It’s too big for him, the sleeves basically swallowing up his hands as he holds onto the mug. “Get some sleep then,” Yunho tells him, pulling the blond closer to give him a peck on the lips. San just hums in agreement again, waving to Yunho as he opens the door. “And don’t forget to ice your cheek!” 

“I won’t!” San waves off his concern as Yunho heads out, the door swinging shut behind him.

  
  
  
  


“Hey, Yunho.” 

Yunho startles when someone grabs him by the arm, turning to see his co-worker, Jongho. The elder tucks the folder of the cat he just did a check up on under his arm. Then he turns to face Jongho, a polite little smile on his face. “Did you need something?” he asks. 

“No, not really,” Jongho shakes his head. “Just wondering if you have an admirer. I thought you said you were living with your boyfriend.” 

Yunho frowns at his words. What an odd thing to say. “I am. Why do you ask?” 

Wordlessly, Jongho points towards Yunho’s desk. The elder follows Jongho’s direction, eyes settling on his desk, but he frowns, unsure of why Jongho feels the need to point it out. “Someone left you a gift,” the younger man says simply. “I saw it on your desk after lunch, but I didn’t see who put it there.” 

It’s then that Yunho recognizes the odd item on his desk. Just two irises resting on the left side of his keyboard, its purple petals vibrant but also worrisome for the brunette. “You didn’t see who put them there?” he repeats, looking back to Jongho who shakes his head and shrugs his shoulder. 

“No. I figured it must be someone else who works here, but I thought everyone knew you were already in a relationship.” 

Yunho smiles at the younger man. “I see. Well, don’t worry too much about it.” 

“Don’t worry.” Jongho’s eyes dart around the office before leaning in towards Yunho to whisper in a conspiratory manner, “I’ll keep on eye out for the culprit.” 

The older man smiles at Jongho’s antics. “Okay, I’ll hold you to that,” he says, laughing when Jongho tells him that he’ll keep his eyes peeled, assuring the brunette that they’ll definitely find the perpetrator by the end of the week. Yunho lets him believe that, waving him off when Jongho rushes off to his next appointment after he realizes that he’s late. 

Finally free of Jongho, Yunho quickly heads for his desk, tossing his folder on top of his keyboard to take care of soon. Then he looks to the irises, staring down at the flowers perfectly in bloom on his desk. Jongho might have thought someone within the clinic gave these to him, but Yunho knows who they’re from and what they’re for: a message. For Yunho. 

_We need to talk_. 

Sweeping them from his desk, Yunho scans the office area to see if anyone is looking at him. When he’s sure the coast is clear, he drops the flowers into a trash bin underneath his desk. He got the message. Collapsing into his seat, Yunho scoots forward, opening up the folder on his desk. There’s nothing to be done for now. He’ll just have to see what Hongjoong needs after work. 

  
  
  
  


Frowning, Yunho scans the trees in the park where Hongjoong wanted to meet him and wonders why. Sure, the fae may have felt more comfortable among the arbor, but this wasn’t the typical kind of place they tended to meet. Besides that, the city park is a little out of the way of his apartment, and he’s eager to return home to see San before the blond would need to leave for work. 

“Hongjoong,” he calls for his friend, eager to get this meeting over with so he can go home. He sees movement from the corner of his eye, turning his head in that direction. “Hongjoong,” he calls for the fae again, watching as a figure peeks around one of the trees. He narrows his eyes at the figure, taking a step forward cautiously. 

“It’s me,” the fae calls, stepping further out from the tree although he doesn’t move closer to Yunho. 

Shoulders relaxing, Yunho takes a few steps closer to the fae, catching sight of his red hair. “What’s up? Why did you want to meet here?” He comes to an abrupt stop in front of Hongjoong when he finally gets close enough, and suddenly Yunho understands the change of location. 

Hongjoong stares up at him with inhuman eyes, his sclera pitched black rather than the white it should be and his irises glowing an eerie shade of blue. Yunho scans the fae from head to toe, alarmed by all the traits slipping through Hongjoong’s usually immaculate glamour, his clawed fingers and sharp teeth. “What happened? Why are you…” he trails off, motioning toward Hongjoong as a whole. 

“I ran into some problems last night,” Hongjoong tells him. “Some hunters found me, and I couldn’t get to Yeosang without putting him at risk.” The fae looks down at his hands, frowning at them as he spreads his fingers and exams them. He probably hasn’t seen them look like this in such a long time. “Sorry you had to come out here, but I can’t exactly wander around the city as I am right now.” 

“Hunters?” Yunho gasps, completely ignoring the rest of Hongjoong’s explanation. 

“Yes,” Hongjoong confirms. He reaches down to his left thigh, brushing over the knife wound he sustained from one of them. “I’m okay though. I managed to get out.” He healed the wound up that night, although he can still feel the residual burn of iron against his skin. 

“My God.” Yunho reaches out to touch the fae’s skin, checking him over to make sure he’s okay. Other than the cracks in his glamour, there are no obvious injuries to Hongjoong. “And your glamour?” he asks. 

Pulling his hand away from his leg, Hongjoong presses his lips together. “Yeosang is coming to see me later tonight, but I needed to talk to you first.” 

“About what?” Yunho asks. 

Hongjoong crosses his arms over his chest and casts his gaze to the ground. There’s really no easy way to tell Yunho the truth, so he doesn’t try. “That boy that you’ve been seeing, San,” he begins slowly, avoiding Yunho’s gaze. The brunette blinks at him, and Hongjoong can see the tension in his frame just from the mention of his boyfriend. 

“What?” Yunho asks anxiously. “Did something happen to San?” 

Hongjoong swallows thickly as his fingers curl into tight fists. “Yunho, there’s no easy way to tell you this, so I’m just going to be blunt. That boy—San—he’s a hunter.” Yunho’s worried expression becomes blank slate, and Hongjoong purses his lips together as he searches his friend’s expression for any insight into his thoughts. “Did you hear me? He’s a hunter!” 

Yunho shakes his head, expression unchanged. “No,” he denies. “He’s not a hunter. San’s not—he’s a bartender.” 

“Yunho, he’s a hunter.” 

“He’s not!” Yunho insists. He takes a step back from Hongjoong, continuing to shake his head because his mind is honestly blank. He can’t think. San, a hunter? No, Yunho can’t reconcile the two in his head. “San isn’t a hunter. He can’t be.” San freaks out and runs to him whenever he finds a spider in their apartment, asking Yunho to take care of it because he doesn’t know what to do. There’s no way he could be a hunter. 

Hongjoong sighs. Yunho’s denial isn’t exactly what he expected, but he can’t say he’s too surprised. “Yunho, he is. I _saw_ him. _He attacked me_.” 

“No,” Yunho repeats. “No, I don’t believe it. I won’t believe it.” 

“I’m fae! I’m not lying!” Hongjoong exclaims, taking a step towards Yunho. “I saw him, Yunho. He responded to that name. He’s a hunter, and he’s dangerous to you! You need to be careful.” 

Yunho’s lips tremble, but the disconnect between Hongjoong’s words and Yunho’s ability to accept reality persists. “I don’t need to be careful. San wouldn’t hurt me—” 

“Because he doesn’t know! He doesn’t know that you’re a werewolf, does he?” Hongjoong cuts in, beginning to lose his patience with his friend. “He’s a hunter. If he finds out what you are—” the fae stops himself, squeezing his eyes shut because he doesn’t even want to imagine. “You need to be careful of him. You need to _leave_ him.” 

That finally seems to snap Yunho from his daze albeit for all the wrong reasons. “No. I’m not—I won’t.” 

“Yunho, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill you. The farther you are from him, the safer you are. You need to leave.” 

The wolf shakes his head again. “No. I won’t. I love him, Hongjoong. And he’s not a hunter.” 

“I’m telling you—” the fae begins to argue, but Yunho won’t have any of it. 

“You saw someone else!” he yells, voice pitching at the end. “I don’t know who you saw, but it wasn’t San. He can’t be a hunter. He’s scared of _spiders_.” Hongjoong opens his mouth, again to refute Yunho’s denials, but the wolf presses on ahead. “You’ve never even met him! You’ve only seen him in pictures. How could you possibly know it was really him?” 

“He responded to the same name,” Hongjoong explodes. 

Yunho hesitates for a moment but ultimately stands his ground. “So? Maybe it’s just someone with the same name.” 

“Yunho,” Hongjoong sighs, staring at his friend with unfiltered exasperation. “I’m not telling you this because it brings me any kind of joy. I’m trying to look out for you.” 

“I know! I know, but I know San. He’s nothing like a hunter. He couldn’t kill another living creature. I don’t believe it.” The blond always cooed and practically melted whenever Yunho showed him pictures of some of his furry patients. The idea that San would try to stick a knife through Hongjoong’s heart...it was inconceivable. Yunho wouldn’t entertain the notion. He refused to. 

Hongjoong sucks in a sharp breath, flicking his red hair from his eyes. “Yunho,” he says seriously, losing the edge of panic and hysteria that has been lacing his voice up until that point. “Don’t forget that you’re packless.” The wolf winces at the reminder, shrinking away from Hongjoong who never once allows his hard expression to slip. A wolf without a pack is at risk. They were born for communal living and support, being packless was often a death sentence for a werewolf, and Hongjoong reminds him, not unkindly, of exactly the kind of vulnerable position he’s in. “You don’t have a pack to look out for you. If something happens, _if_ your human boy finds out you're a wolf, you have nowhere to go.” 

Biting his lip, Yunho turns his head away from Hongjoong, hands curling into angry fists at his sides. “I’m well aware,” he spits out, lips instinctually curling up in disgust at the thought. Packless. No wolf should be packless, yet Yunho had spent most of his life that way. “I’m probably more human than wolf by now anyways.” 

Yunho was forced out of his pack at a young age, long before he ever reached adulthood, due to a fortune telling from a witch who had told his pack leader that Yunho was a bad omen for his family. Packless and a pup, blending into human society became the only way for Yunho to survive. Assimilate or perish, and he had assimilated perfectly more or less. 

“That won’t save you from hunters if they find out the truth,” Hongjoong points out. 

“Well, they won’t because San isn’t a hunter!” 

The fae presses his lips together in a thin line, observing Yunho critically. The wolf’s blatant denial is difficult for him to process. He knows that Yunho likes this human of his—loves him even—but he’s always known the pup to be a survivor. Packless at such a young age, Yunho should have been dead to rights, if not from another pack than from hunters, and yet here he still stands. 

“Fine,” he mutters, blinking his blue eyes at Yunho. “Even if that is the case, and your precious human really isn’t a hunter, he’s still a human. What if he reports you?” 

Yunho huffs like he finds the very idea preposterous despite the fact that it had been a thought that always hovered in the back of his mind when he first started dating San. “I’m not going to talk about this, Hongjoong.” 

The fae sighs; it’s clear to him that Yunho isn’t currently in the right mood or state of mind to discuss this. “Okay. Just be careful.” However, he resolves to keep a closer eye on the wolf from now on. If Yunho will not take care of himself, Hongjoong supposes that it falls on his shoulders. 

“I will be. I have been,” the werewolf insists. “I know how to survive, Hongjoong.” 

“I believe that,” the fae assures him. “But I also believe that your love is blinding you.” Yunho curls his lips back, ready to continue arguing with Hongjoong, but the fae isn’t having it. “I told you what I needed to. If you want to ignore it, that’s your prerogative.” He takes a few steps back from Yunho, leveling the werewolf with a pointed look. “I need to go. I still have an appointment to keep with Yeosang.” 

Yunho watches him with a frown on his lips. Hongjoong’s eyebrows knit together into a look of concern, but when the werewolf blinks, the fae is gone. 

  
  
  
  


When Yunho returns to his apartment, he finds San washing dishes at the kitchen sink still in his pajamas from this morning. The blond turns to him when he hears him walk into the kitchen, and he turns off the sink, a smile already on his face. 

“Hey,” San greets. “You’re a little late.” 

Yunho’s mouth suddenly feels dry. He scans San’s face, gaze stopping on the bandage he put on his cheek this morning. San said that he slipped and fell. Yunho could honestly believe it. The blond is clumsy and has injured himself doing mundane things around the apartment more than once. However, Hongjoong said he had gotten into a fight with San last night though. Was the scrape a result of that? Yunho quickly shakes it off. It was a coincidence, nothing more, right? 

“Sorry. Traffic kind of sucked tonight for some reason.” 

The smile never leaves San’s face as he wipes his hands down on one of their kitchen towels. “I figured,” he says. Once his hands are dry, he shuffles over to Yunho, draping his arms over the taller man’s shoulders and leans up to press a sweet kiss on Yunho’s lips. The brunette melts into the touch, wrapping his own arms around San’s waist to pull the human flush against his body. 

San licks along Yunho’s bottom lip but pulls away before the kiss becomes any more heated. “I already ate, but there’s still plenty for you.” He slides his arms off Yunho’s shoulder and points over to the stove where one of their well used pans is sitting on top of it. 

Yunho moves his hand downtowards San’s hips, squeezing him there before he moves over to the stove. “What did you make?” he asks. 

“Nothing fancy. Just some pasta,” San answers, leaning against the edge of the table as he watches Yunho curiously poke at the pasta with a wooden spatula.

Apparently satisfied with what he sees in the pan, Yunho shoots San a grateful smile over his shoulders. “Thanks,” he says, opening one of the cabinets to grab a bowl. 

Humming, San walks up behind him and reaches out to rub his hand up and down his back. “Of course,” he murmurs, leaning his head down to rest between Yunho’s shoulder blades. He rests his weight against Yunho like this as the brunette fills a bowl with the pasta. “You deserve it after working so hard,” he compliments, clinging to Yunho when he tries to head towards the table. San follows behind him, his toes catching Yunho’s heels as they move to the table. He only releases his hold on the taller man when Yunho attempts to sit down. 

“Speaking of which,” Yunho remarks as he licks the sauce off his fork, “don’t you need to get ready for work?” His eyes drift over to San, scanning the blond from head to toe with his eyebrows raised. As much as he loves how soft his boyfriend looks in such comfortable clothing, he knows that loose sweaters and a pair of sweatpants are decidedly not his work uniform. 

San looks down at himself, reaching out to adjust one of the sleeves when he realizes it’s hanging dangerously low on his shoulder. Yunho tries not to be too disappointed by the sudden lack of skin. “I still have a few hours before I have to go,” the blond says, taking a seat on the chair across from Yunho. “Besides, this is comfortable.” 

Yunho’s eyes linger on his collarbone, the sleeve once again sliding down his shoulder. His eyes inevitably trail back up to his face, though, and he can’t help but stare at the bandage. The thoughts he pushed to the back of his mind suddenly come to the forefront again. “How do you like your job anyways?” he asks. 

San frowns at the question, linking his fingers together on top of the table. “Where’s this coming from?” 

Yunho shrugs, trying to play it innocent as he takes a bite of his pasta. “I mean, you work the night shift for your father. Don’t you think you could get something...safer at the very least.” 

It occurs to Yunho that San misunderstands his concern because he smiles and says, “I told you that you don’t have to worry about that. The restaurant is in a pretty human-dominant area. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a vampire around.” 

Quietly, Yunho twirls his fork around in his pasta, peeking at San every once in a while. The blond leans his uninjured cheek against his fist, smiling at him as Yunho eats the dinner he prepared, and the wolf can’t imagine San covered in dark, glimmering fae blood. He sets his fork down, stomach twisting with guilt that he could ever even suspect his boyfriend. San isn’t a killer. How could he be? 

“What’s wrong?” San asks, expression falling when he notices that Yunho’s paused. “Does it taste bad? Was the sauce bad. I already ate some.” He places a hand on top of his stomach, his expression turning worried.

“No.” Yunho shakes his head furiously, scrambling to pick up his fork again. “No, it’s not that at all. It’s good.” He lifts up a forkful of the pasta as if to prove his point. “I just worry about you, you know? I know you say that it’s safe, but I can’t help but worry every time you leave the house.” 

He didn’t need to be worried about San. He should worry _for_ him. San is human, fragile and so easily made into prey by Yunho and others like him. 

“Is it because of this morning?” San asks as he reaches a hand up to prod at his cheek. It’s still a little sore, but it doesn’t hurt nearly as much as it did. 

“It’s not just this morning,” Yunho sighs. “It’s every time you go to work.” 

“I have to work—”

“Why can’t it be a day job, though?” Yunho cuts in, lips pulling into a frown that resembles a pout more than anything else. “It’s not as if there aren’t restaurants open during the day.” 

San fiddles with the sleeves of his sweater, pulling them down over his hands and, in turn, pulling it further off his shoulder. “It’s not that easy,” he answers in a quiet voice. “You have a highly trained position. It’s not exactly hard to find someone who can bartend competently, and I don’t really have anything else in the way of skills.” He presses his clothed fist to his mouth, chewing on the material. “Day jobs aren’t so easy to get, not when everyone wants one.” 

Yunho tightens his grip on his fork, sucking in a deep breath as he stares down at his plate. It wouldn’t be such a problem if they weren’t working opposite schedules. Yunho probably wouldn’t feel so anxious if he could at least walk San to and from work, but it was just too hard when he had to wake up early. 

“Do you want to walk me to work today?” San asks, apparently picking up on Yunho’s worry. 

“Yeah,” Yunho answers without even thinking about it. San usually hates when the wolf walks him to work, maybe because it only seems to further add to Yunho’s anxiety. Granted, the times that the brunette had accompanied San to work, he hadn’t felt the presence of anyone or anything alarming, so perhaps San had a point. 

“Okay.” San reaches out one hand to tap the table. “Now hurry up and finish your food. I want to cuddle a little bit before I go.” Yunho doesn’t need to be told twice, quickly finishing up his bowl of food before he drags the blond over to the couch. 

  
  
  
  


Despite Yunho’s brief reassurance that San works a normal job, he can’t shake Hongjoong’s warning from his mind. It becomes even harder to shake when he really starts to focus on the number of injuries San will come home with. It’s not every day, but he always seems to sport a new injury every once in a while, more frequently than Yunho would suspect to be normal for working as a bartender, and he combs through his memories in search of other times San returned home with unusual injuries. 

The doubts begin to nudge at the back of his mind a few days later when San comes home with a cut to his hand. He chalked it up to a knife accident. It’s perfectly believable considering how many times San has cut himself trying to slice up some apples for Yunho to take to work with him. There had even been that one time that San had to get stitches because he cut himself while slicing an avocado. Yunho could absolutely see the blond hurting himself while cutting up some limes, but Hongjoong’s words linger in the back of his brain. 

_That boy is a hunter._

Yunho partially blames his survival instincts because Hongjoong is undoubtedly right. If he were living right under the nose of a hunter, he needs to escape. And soon. That’s inherently the problem though. His instincts are fighting each other. He’s scared of the possibility that San may indeed be a danger to him while at the same time certain that San is just a normal human. 

He’s not a hunter; he can’t be. Not only is it in complete contrast to San’s personality, Yunho has _been_ to the restaurant the blond works at. He’s seen San bartend, had one of his drinks. When exactly did he have the time to be a hunter in that case? 

The ongoing war within his mind manifests in reality as well. Yunho can tell that he’s pulling away from San in every sense of the word: physically, mentally, emotionally. And he knows that San isn’t ignorant of it. He can see it in the downturn curl of his lips whenever Yunho pulls out of his hugs. He can hear it in the way San whines whenever Yunho doesn’t reciprocate his kiss. He can feel it in the way San does everything he can to appease him, inviting him to walk him to work almost every night, pulling up new recipes to try, and cuddling up to the wolf at night. 

Yunho feels guilty about it, biting into his lip every time San watches him go with the look of a kicked puppy or the whimpers the blond chokes down whenever Yunho fails to return his affection. He knows this is putting a strain on their relationship, but his fears and suspicions just cannot seem to be assuaged. Hongjoong is a fae. More than that he’s a trusted friend. He wouldn’t tell Yunho something so serious if he didn’t honestly believe it. 

San peeks around the corner into the bedroom where Yunho is folding their shared laundry. For a second, he just stands there, admiring Yunho’s broad back as he neatly folds a pair of San’s jeans. He suddenly pauses before turning his head over his shoulder to stare at San. The blond squeaks, quickly ducking into the hallway to hide. 

“What are you doing?” Yunho asks. 

“Nothing!” San pokes his head into the room again with a pout on his face. “How did you know I was there?” 

Yunho frowns at his question. “I could hear you lurking behind me.” 

San’s eyebrows knit together at his answer. “I didn’t even make a sound,” he mutters, cocking his head to the side. 

Yunho hesitates at his statement, draping the shirt he was working on over his lap. “Ah, well, you know.” He shrugs it off like that’s an answer. “What are you doing skulking over there anyways?” 

“I’m not skulking,” San protests petulantly, fingers tracing along the doorframe. 

“Well, I’m assuming you still need something.” 

San continues tracing his fingers along the doorframe, pressing his cheek against it as his gaze moves over towards their closet. “Well, I’m off tonight,” he murmurs, teeth digging into his bottom lip. 

Yunho finishes folding up the shirt in his hand. “I know,” he says, setting the shirt down in the pile that he’s already started. 

“I mean, so I was wondering if I could come in and, like, cuddle for a bit. Or something,” he trails off in his suggestion, fingers drumming along the wall as he waits for permission. 

Yunho turns back to him, folding another pair of pants. “Why are you asking?” he questions with a little huff. It’s a little ridiculous, after all. There’s no reason San should be seeking permission just to come into their room to spend some time together. 

“Well, you haven’t really seemed into physical affection lately. I didn’t want to bother you if you needed your space.” 

Yunho’s shoulders tense up at San’s words, and he sets the pants he had been folding back down into the laundry basket. That’s why, the brunette thinks with heavy guilt. That’s why San is asking for things he would have taken wordlessly before. “Oh, Sannie,” he sighs, pushing aside the laundry basket so he can turn around. He holds his arms out in invitation, and the blond doesn’t hesitate, scurrying into the taller man’s arms with a content sigh. “I’m sorry. I’ve been...distant lately, haven’t I?”

“It’s okay,” San mumbles into his shoulder, wiggling around to press himself as close as he can to Yunho’s body. The brunette lets him, pulling the smaller man closer by the waist and resisting the urge to purr at the warmth. The wolf is a pack creature first and foremost, and he most certainly has missed the physical affection. “I figured things must have gotten tough at work, and we’ve been fighting.” 

Yunho pulls away from him, looking down at the blond with a confused expression. “We’ve been fighting?” he asks. It’s news to him. 

“About my job,” San answers. 

Ah, so San figured Yunho was upset with him because he wouldn’t leave his job. 

“I’m sorry,” Yunho apologizes, pulling the blond close again. “It’s not about that. Yeah, I worry about you, but I know why you do it. I’ve just been thinking about other things.” 

“What things?” San asks. He fists his hands into Yunho’s shirt as the brunette begins to sway them back and forth. 

“Just things. Nothing to concern yourself with,” Yunho assures him. He doesn’t want to think about it right now either. For once, with San’s body pressed against his like this, he feels as if he can finally stop torturing himself over whether or not he should trust his boyfriend. He presses his nose into San’s hair, taking in the scent of their shampoo and sighing. His sense of smell may be weaker in his human form, but he’s confident he would be able to smell blood and metal if it clung to San the way it tends to do with hunters. 

“You can talk to me about anything, you know,” San says, snuggling into Yunho’s chest. 

“I know,” Yunho says even as he knows that he won’t divulge his thoughts to San. He can’t, but he doesn’t want the blond to know that. He pats San on the back of his head, fingers combing through his hair affectionately. “Hey, let me finish folding the laundry, and then we can watch a movie together or something, alright?” 

San hums his agreement, pulling away from Yunho just long enough that he can turn back to the unfinished laundry. San quickly koalas to Yunho’s back, resting his cheek against the taller man’s shoulder as he patiently waits for Yunho to finish. 

The werewolf frowns as he neatly folds another shirt. San’s body is warm against his back, and, admittedly, he very much missed the feeling. He promises that he’ll do better from now on. Perhaps his only recourse is to tell San the truth and share with him the one thing Yunho has never told him. But not now, Yunho justifies, savoring the warmth on his back. Not tonight. 

  
  
  
  


“What is it?” San asks when Seonghwa comes to retrieve him from the restaurant floor. The older hunter wears a grim expression that the blond doesn’t know how to interpret. They hadn’t received a job today, so San had been working an unexciting shift on the floor while Seonghwa remained in the back. Wiping his hands off on one of the towels behind the bar, San searches Seonghwa’s expression for a clue. “Has something happened?” 

“Chan caught a vampire,” Seonghwa finally says, waiting for San to come out from behind the bar. 

San pauses as Seonghwa holds an arm out to beckon the blond over. “He _caught_ one?” he repeats, following after Seonghwa. The elder wraps his arm around San’s shoulders when the blond walks up to him, leading him towards the back room. He nods his head in answer to San’s questions, eyes scanning the restaurant before they duck into the back room. “Why didn’t he just—” San makes a vague stabbing motion with his hand as Seonghwa breaks away from him, grabbing his jacket off the back of the couch. 

“It’s a little more complicated than that,” he says, walking around the couch to pick up San’s jacket as well. He tosses it at the blond who catches it. However, San only watches as Seonghwa slips into his jacket with confusion, holding onto his own jacket. “Put that on,” Seonghwa advises him, pointing to the jacket in San’s arms. “We’re going.” 

“Going where?” San asks, hesitantly slipping into the jacket. 

“Your family’s house.” San freezes up, staring at Seonghwa who shoots him a sympathetic look. “Don’t worry. You’re not the one in trouble this time.” He opens the back door, holding it open with his foot as he motions for San to come out, but the blond only fiddles with his jacket zipper, refusing to meet Seonghwa’s gaze. “San,” Seonghwa warns. 

“Why do we have to go then?” San asks in a strained voice, taking a tentative step towards the door before stopping. Call him a petulant child, but he doesn’t see why he can’t just stay here to finish working the rest of his shift quietly. 

“Because your father called everyone there. I’ll explain what I know on the way there, but I promise you’re not in trouble.” He waves towards San again, urging the blond to come with him. 

Reluctantly, San follows after the elder, wincing when the door swings shut behind them. San drags his feet as he follows Seonghwa to the parking lot of the restaurant, heading for Seonghwa’s bike. The elder tosses a helmet to San who catches it, staring down at the helmet in his hands as Seonghwa fits one onto his head before swinging his leg over the bike. 

“Come on,” Seonghwa says, turning on the engine of his motorcycle. 

With a sigh, San shoves the helmet onto his head and takes a seat on the bike behind Seonghwa. “Tell me what’s going on,” he says, reaching forward to wrap his arm around Seonghwa’s waist. The elder pushes up the kickstand with his heel before driving off. 

“It’s messy, and I’m not entirely sure about all the details,” Seonghwa tells him, voice practically a yell so that San can hear him through his helmet and over the sound of the wind rushing past them. “From what I can tell the vampire is his cousin’s boyfriend.” 

San’s fingers tighten into Seonghwa’s shirt. He doesn’t know much about Chan, to be honest. He’s a good hunter, but they run in different circles. He does kind of know his cousin though. Felix isn’t a hunter, but he’s well aware that his cousin is. San’s talked to him a few times when he stopped by the restaurant, served him a couple drinks even. San didn’t even know he was dating someone. And a vampire on top of that? San doesn’t want to speak for someone he barely knew, but Felix didn’t seem the type. 

“Did he know? That he was dating a vampire?” San asks. 

“I don’t know,” Seonghwa answers. “But, apparently he tried to stop Chan from killing it when he found out.” 

San feels his heart sink into his stomach for an inexplicable reason. Seonghwa kept reassuring him that San wasn’t in trouble. Now San knows why because Felix is the one in trouble. He may not be a hunter himself, but he’s still a part of the family by extension and with that came all the responsibilities of upholding their values and principals. An expectation San is well aware of. 

“Does that have something to do with why the vampire has been captured instead of killed?” 

“Yeah. I don’t expect the vampire to live much longer.” San resists the urge to snort. The vampire might be alive, but he’s captured, held by a family of hunters. His chances of survival are nil. Felix is the one being punished. 

“He’s making a spectacle of this, isn’t he?” San asks, fingers tugging at Seonghwa’s shirt. It’s not as if San is sympathetic towards vampires. If anything, they’re the one race of supernatural creature San has almost no qualms with killing. Parasitic blood suckers, the lot, but San can’t help but feel that something is off about this. The dread only intensifies when Seonghwa brings his motorcycle to a stop in front of what is essentially a mansion on the outskirts of the city, home for San’s family of hunters and the branch families underneath them, and the one place San absolutely hated going back to. 

Seonghwa slides off his bike, setting it just leaning to the left with the kickstand. San slides off the bike much less gracefully before yanking off the helmet and setting it on top of the seat. “Yes, your father wants to execute him via sunrise.” 

San whips his head around to stare at Seonghwa incredulously. “Why? Just stake him through the heart.” 

The elder shrugs his shoulders. “This is what your father wants.” 

Holding in a frustrated sigh, San tilts his head back to look up at the starless night sky. Sunrise is still hours away at this point, but more than that, San didn’t want to be away from home that long. “This is pointless. Felix isn’t a hunter, why does he need to drag this out?” 

“He might not be a hunter, but he’s still a member of a branch family who tried to stop a hunter from doing his duty.” 

“Are you justifying this?” San asks, placing his hands on his hips. 

“Are you saying we should let a vampire live?” Seonghwa challenges. 

“No,” the blond answers quickly. “What I’m saying is there’s no need to turn this into a fucking show.” 

Sighing, Seonghwa pockets the keys to his bike and nods his head towards the mansion. San stares at the building with a frown on his face before reluctantly following after him. “I suppose I don’t necessarily disagree with you on that, but just do what your father wants? There’s no need to piss him off tonight, right?” 

“I guess,” San mumbles, shrinking into himself when they enter through the front door. 

  
  
  
  


It’s surely a spectacle, his father having gathered everyone in the backyard. San hangs back in the crowd, though he catches sight of his sister pushing her way through the mass of hunters, and he can’t help but frown as she tries to make her way to the front. He moves to the side, trying to avoid her gaze and stumbling into Seonghwa who reaches out to steady him. 

“You okay?” his partner asks. 

“Fine, I just saw my sister,” he says, quickly righting himself. Seonghwa scans the small crowd that’s gathered, but he doesn’t see her. “Don’t.” San digs his elbow into Seonghwa’s side in warning. “She’s trying to get to the front.” 

Seonghwa frowns but relaxes onto his heels. “She’s pushing herself too hard,” he mutters. 

“She won’t stay up there,” San murmurs. Seonghwa turns his head to look down at San, but he can’t exactly disagree. San and his sister were very similar in some ways and yet so different in other ways. One was in the way San constantly did what he could to avoid their father and his ire, while his sister often did whatever she could to appease him. Their father still refused to let her hunt though, relegating her to collecting intel for them instead. 

The sound of sobbing draws San and others attention, and the blond turns to watch, with his teeth digging into his bottom lip, as Chan leads his cousin towards the crowd. His cousin who is crying into his hands, tear tracks streaking down his face. “Please,” Felix whimpers as he tries to pull out of his cousin’s grip. “I didn’t know. Please don’t do this.” San averts his gaze when Felix’s eyes find him. He pities the boy, but there’s nothing to be done given the circumstances. 

His cousin leans over to whisper something into his ears which only brings more tears to his eyes. The crowd easily parts for them so that Chan can push him to the front. San peeks through the part in the crowd, catching sight of the vampire and his father standing over it. His feet are bound together to a stake in the ground, hands tied together in front of him. They’re not typically the type of restraints to stop a vampire, but he’s clearly weak already. He must know how this night will end for him. 

Felix turns his head away from the sight, his sobs growing louder. His nails dig into his cousin’s arm, but then the crowd reforms, and San loses sight of them. He can still hear Felix sobbing though, babbling nonsensical words and pleads. San turns away from it. 

San’s shaking leg betrays his anxiety, and he crosses his arms over his chest. “I don’t like this,” he says quietly, so no one other than Seonghwa can hear him. 

“Best keep that opinion to yourself,” Seonghwa says back in an equally low voice. 

“Don’t tell me this isn’t overkill,” San hisses. 

“It’s not as if we’ve never seen a public execution,” Seonghwa points out. 

“This isn’t a public execution,” San grumbles. Yes, a vampire would die tonight, but that wasn’t the point. They hadn’t caught one so important. This was about punishing one of their own, and San hates that about his father. He’s always been like this, willing to hurt his own hunters to make a point. San would know. He’s been on the receiving end of it more than once. 

“Where is San?” his father’s voice booms over the crowd. 

The blond lifts his head up, looking to Seonghwa with a panic stricken expression. Why? San isn’t supposed to be in the hot seat tonight. Seonghwa shakes his head, clearly just as confused. It doesn’t stop a murmur from traveling through the crowd, everyone looking around. Unfortunately San is all too easy to spot near the back of the crowd with his blond hair. 

Pursing his lips together, San figures it best not to throw a fuss tonight. Shooting Seonghwa a betrayed look, he begins to weave his way through the crowd towards his father. If he had known he would get called out tonight, he would have just stayed at the bar and taken his punishment behind closed doors. Seonghwa follows after him though, pushing his way through the crowd until he and the blond emerge at the front of the group. 

Chan is still holding his cousin still, his expression hardened like steel. Felix is still crying, fingers clawing at Chan’s arm in a feeble attempt to escape. Seonghwa’s gaze drops down to the vampire, bound and clearly in a daze. His lips curl back in disgust. The vampire trembles, eyes fixed on Felix.

San tries to smile at his father, but the expression is strained and insincere, not that the man cares either way. “You called, father?” he asks with a polite tip of his head. 

The man smiles back at his son, the expression equally strained. He brings his arms from behind his back, holding out a metal clamp to his son. San eyes the device suspiciously before tentatively accepting it from his father. “We still have time before the sun rises.” The vampire whimpers from his spot on the ground. San wisely remains quiet, staring down at the clamp in his hands. He doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do with it, but he has a feeling that he won’t like it. “Remove its fangs.” 

San looks up at his father, lips parting in shock at the request. “What?” he asks. 

“You heard me,” his father says. San doesn’t move, just stares at his father as he holds the clamp loosely in his hands. Eventually he looks down to the vampire who looks back at him with fearful eyes, his whole body shaking with fear. 

“No, don’t!” Felix shouts at them, managing to break away from Chan’s grip. He shoves San aside, the blond stumbling back a couple of steps, and collapses to his knees by the vampire, shielding him with his body. “Please, don’t. He’s not a bad person. He was human once!” 

His father sighs, rolling his shoulders back. “That would be because he’s hardly a human at all,” the man says, gaze immediately going to Chan. “Do you think this bloodsucker is innocent? Do you think he is a good guy?” He nods his head to Felix, and Chan quickly scrambles over, pulling his cousin off the vampire. He doesn’t go without a fight, screaming like Chan plunged a knife into his heart as he’s pulled away from the vampire. 

San doesn’t say a word, almost wondering if he could bleed back into the crowd without sparking his father’s wrath, but he doesn’t try. He knows it’d be pointless anyways. Even if his father’s attention has been momentarily diverted, it’s only a matter of time before it zeroes in on him again. So he watches quietly as his father kneels down next to the vampire, his gaze menacing. His father is a hunter in every sense of the word, looking at the vampire before him as nothing short of prey. 

“Hey, I’ll cut you a deal, vamp. How do you feel about that?” The vampire stares at him, eyes wide and wet and filled with so much fear. “Tell me you haven’t killed anyone,” he says, before pointing behind him in Felix’s general direction. “One of my own says that you’re not so bad. You’re innocent, is that right?” The vampire’s eyes briefly seek out Felix’s before focusing on San’s father again. “So you’ve never killed anyone, right? If you haven’t, I’ll let you go. How about it? Not a bad deal is it?” 

The vampire gulps, lips trembling, but he doesn’t answer. Seonghwa sucks in a sharp breath next to the blond, and San bites the inside of his cheek. The vampire’s lack of response isn’t unexpected. How could he be alive without killing others? 

“Can’t answer? Because you have. You must in order to live.” The man straightens himself back up and looks to San. “Remove its fangs,” he repeats his previous order. 

San drops his gaze down to the clamp in his hand, twirling it around with uncertainty. “I don’t—” he stammers, looking away from the vampire when his eyes snap over to San. Vampires are monsters. That he knows, but he’s not used to this. He hunts them down, stakes them through the heart to protect his fellow humans. He’s not used to them being vulnerable in front of him, and he’s never exactly been one to play with his prey. He’s efficient and quick. Prolonged torture isn’t his style. 

“You don’t what?” his father snaps at him. 

San winces, looking away only to meet his sister’s gaze. She glowers at him, eyeing the clamp in his hand, probably thinking she could do a better job in his shoes right now. “I don’t know how to use this.” He holds out the clamp. “I only know how to kill them.” 

“Oh. You don’t know, do you?” his father asks, the question biting. San’s skin prickles, and he knows his father is angry with him now. Probably thinks San is purposefully embarrassing him in front of their clan. 

“What’s the point of this?” San asks, trying to divert the subject instead. “He’s guilty, isn’t he? Why not just kill him? I could do that instead.” Both Felix and the vampire whimper at the suggestion. 

His father only scoffs though, shaking his head at his son. “This isn’t about him.” He jerks his chin towards the vampire on the ground. Instead he points to Felix who’s shaking like a leaf in Chan’s hold. “Look at him. A member of this family crying for a vampire that he loves? It’s an embarrassment.” He looks down to the vampire once again, spitting at his feet. “We must teach him a valuable lesson.” 

Then he reaches out and snatches the clamp from San’s hands, holding it out to Seonghwa instead. “You said you didn’t know how to use this, right? Seonghwa, why don’t you teach him?” 

San looks over to his partner, eyes wide. The elder’s jaw tightens, and he reaches out to take the device from his father’s hand. The blond is mildly horrified by his partner’s absolute lack of hesitation. He immediately goes for the vampire who tries to wiggle away from him, but Seonghwa pins him to the ground easily. The clamp, apparently, is used to force a vampire’s mouth open. 

San can’t explain what this feeling of his stomach rolling is, a wave of nausea flooding through him as the vampire screams through the clamp as Seonghwa callously pulls out his fangs with a pair of pliers. He’s only grateful that he doesn’t offer San’s father the chance to force his son to do it as well. Between the vampire’s pained shrieks, the smell of blood, and Felix’s own crying, San digs his nails into the heel of his palms, teeth grinding together as he forces himself to look like he’s watching even though his gaze is fixed on the ground right next to the vampire’s writing body. If he loses his composure now it’s over for him.

Seonghwa hates vampires, more than any other creature. San knows this, and he doesn’t blame his partner. Seonghwa lost his parents to a vampire attack, so he’s always harbored an especially deep hatred for them. San doesn’t disagree with him. Vampires have always been the most dangerous to humans, and reducing their numbers never counted as a bad thing in San’s mind, but he can’t help but hate this unnecessary torture. Just kill the thing and be done with it. 

The others seem to revel in the spectacle, though, cheering on Seonghwa and then others as San’s father calls on other hunters to continue. There is still some time until the sun rises after all. The only other people who don’t seem to take joy in the torture are Felix and Chan—maybe even his sister as San can’t find her among the cheering crowd anymore—and San finds himself shuffling back into the crowd as the night continues. All he wants is to end this nightmare and go home. 

By the time the sun rises, the vampire is a barely recognizable bloody mess on the ground. Felix’s cries begin to rise in pitch, and he begins screaming for the vampire over and over. San forces himself not to look away as the first rays of sunlight hit the vampire’s body. He begins screaming in pain, futilely tugging at his bonds. His skin mottles as he burns, but San schools his expression. He doesn’t feel sorry for the vampire. He won’t. 

Even forces himself to remain unmoving and unsympathetic as the vampire burns. Tears stream down his blackened skin, lips moving to form soundless words. San narrows his eyes at the display, but he can’t fathom what the vampire is saying. He quickly shakes it off, fingernails digging painfully into his palms. No pity, he reminds himself. What pity is there to give to a vampire anyways? 

San tells himself this, but by the time it’s over and the vampire finally turns to dust, San feels unusually unsettled. Maybe it’s because of Felix’s despairing sobs in the background or maybe it’s the vampire’s name burned into the front of his brain like a brand because Felix had kept calling for him, begging for mercy. 

_Hyunjin_. 

“Drop me off at my place,” San requests when Seonghwa finds him again. His partner nods his head in agreement. If San has a hard time meeting Seonghwa’s eyes for the rest of the night, neither of them comment on it. 

  
  
  
  


Yunho is already awake and drinking a cup of coffee by the time San returns home. The blond isn’t surprised given the time of morning, but San can’t help but be pissed about it. Not at his boyfriend, but at the thought that he could have been with him this whole time instead of with his family. 

The brunette sets his mug down on the counter when San walks through the front door, trotting over to him with a worried expression. “Jesus, there you are. I was so _worried_ when I woke up and you weren’t in bed.” 

“Sorry,” San apologizes with a half-hearted smile. “We had a really rough night, so everyone left super late. Or early I guess.” He tries to laugh at his lame joke, but he can’t. All he can think about is Felix. Why had he cried so much for a vampire? For a vampire who admitted that he had killed before? And why did San feel so bad about it? If his father had told him to just drive a stake into his heart and kill him, San doesn’t think he would have hesitated, nor would he have felt bad. Something about that execution, though, had gotten under his skin and hooked itself there. 

Whatever it is must show on his face because Yunho cups his cheeks and asks him what’s wrong. San shakes his head, unable to form words as he wraps his arms around the taller man’s waist, pulling him close in a hug. It’s times like these San wishes Yunho knew what he really did for a living, but he kept silent, unwilling to drag his boyfriend into the potential dangers that came with hunting and the definite hazards he called his family. 

“I just need a minute,” he mumbles into Yunho’s shirt. 

The werewolf pats him on the head a few times before pulling him close. It must have been a particularly difficult shift if San’s reacting like this, and he briefly wonders if the blond’s father had done something to him, but San didn’t seem to be sporting any new injuries.

Yunho’s nose twitches, however, when he catches a faint scent on top of San’s usual one. His eyebrows knit together at the unpleasant smell, but Yunho doesn’t quite know where to place it. It’s an odd smell that Yunho has never caught wind of on the blond before. He’s unable to dwell on it for too long, though, distracted by San’s obvious distress. 

“Why don’t you go take a shower and get some sleep? You’ve been up all night,” he suggests. 

With a sigh, San pulls away from him, rubbing at his nose and nodding his head at the same time. “Yeah, okay,” he agrees easily enough. 

Yunho combs his fingers through San’s hair a few times, a comforting gesture. “I have to go to work soon. I’ll be gone by the time you get out, but I’ll see you when I get home, okay? Don’t worry about making dinner, I’ll pick up something on the way home.” 

The blond murmurs his agreement to the plan, head tilted down so he can at least have a moment to calm his nerves. When he lifts his head up, it’s with a smile. “Thank you,” he says to Yunho who nods his head. 

“Of course. Now go get cleaned up.” He pats San on the butt, encouraging him to head for the bathroom. The blond squeals and scrambles towards the bathroom before pausing. He thinks about it for a few seconds then turns around and scurries back over to Yunho. Before the brunette can question him, San leans up and steals a kiss from him. 

“I love you,” San tells him. 

Yunho smiles, and for the first time in a while, feels like he can relax in front of the blond. “Love you too,” he says, ruffling up the blond’s hair. “Now go take a shower. I’ll see you when I get home.” 

  
  
  
  


A few days later, Yunho is checking his phone in the morning while San makes a small pot of coffee for the two of them to share. A calendar notification appears on his phone, and Yunho almost chokes on his banana when he sees it. Tonight is a full moon, and he almost completely forgot about it. He sneaks a glance at San’s back to see if the blond noticed his shock, but his boyfriend seems engrossed in making coffee. 

“Hey, you’re working tonight, right?” Yunho asks, setting his phone aside. 

“I am,” San confirms, turning to Yunho with two mugs hanging from his fingers in one hand while he holds the small pot of coffee in the other. He walks over to the table, setting the mugs down first before placing the coffee down in between them. Then he says, “Why do you ask?” He pours them both a cup of coffee, sliding Yunho’s mug over to him. 

“We have a workplace dinner tonight,” Yunho says, wrapping his hands around his mug. His shoulders sink down as he savors the warmth against his palms. “It totally slipped my mind. I didn’t want you to wait up for me.” 

San waves him off with a little smile. “Don’t worry about it. I guess I just won’t see you tonight.” He makes a little pout, but it’s not serious. 

“Sorry,” Yunho apologizes. “But at least you woke up early.” 

San hides a smile behind his mug when he lifts it up to take a sip. “Have fun with your work colleagues, okay?” 

“I will. Try not to work too hard yourself,” Yunho says. 

  
  
  
  


Hongjoong is waiting for him outside of the clinic when Yunho gets off work. The fae gives him a smile when he walks out the door, hands tucked behind his head. “Hey, you ready for tonight?” he asks when Yunho looks towards him. 

“Yeah,” the wolf says, holding the door open as Jongho comes out right behind him. 

The young human pauses when he catches sight of Hongjoong, and the fae smiles at him. Jongho looks between the two of them suspiciously before his eyes ultimately settle on Yunho. The werewolf also offers him a little smile, unsure of what caused Jongho to pause in the first place. Hongjoong’s glamour is back up to his usual standards. Jongho’s expression suddenly turns sly, and he smiles at Hongjoong. “Are you the boyfriend?” he asks, taking a step towards the fae. 

Yunho squeaks at the same time that Hongjoong laughs. Jongho frowns at their reaction, looking between the two supernatural creatures. “He’s not,” Yunho quickly answers, waving his hands around as if trying to dispel the thought from his co-workers head. “He’s just a good friend of mine. We have plans tonight.” 

Hongjoong smiles when Jongho’s eyes drift over to him. “You seemed really excited there for a moment,” the fae comments. 

“No,” Jongho denies with a shake of his head. “He just talks about his boyfriend a lot, but he’s never come around. I’ve been dying to meet the type of person who Yunho would settle with.” 

Hongjoong’s hard gaze finds Yunho, and the werewolf looks away. “Indeed,” he says. 

“Anyways,” Yunho cuts in, “we gotta go, and you should be heading home too. The sun won’t be up for too much longer, you know.” 

Jongho sticks his tongue out childishly at Yunho. “Okay, I got it. I got it. You know vampires don’t come crawling out the second the sun goes down, you know. Some of them sleep in too.” Yunho narrows his eyes at him, but Jongho just waves him off. 

“You know, not everything that wants to hurt you only comes out at night,” Hongjoong says. He tilts his head forward, fixing Jongho with an intense look that has the human shifting around uncomfortably. Yunho smacks his friend on the arm, shaking his head when Hongjoong pouts at him. “Yunho is right, though. You should get along before the monsters come out to play.” 

With a polite little nod, Jongho scurries off. Yunho hisses at his friend when Jongho is gone. “What the hell? He’s a nice kid.” 

“Sorry,” Hongjoong pouts, twirling a strand of red hair with his finger. “It’s just in my nature. I couldn’t help myself.” Yunho sighs but doesn’t scold Hongjoong any longer. The fae knows what he did wrong. “You should heed your own advice to be careful,” Hongjoong tells him as Yunho leads him away from the clinic. The wolf growls in annoyance but doesn’t argue, and Hongjoong doesn’t say anything further.

“Not tonight,” Yunho says. 

“Fine,” Hongjoong sniffs. “But we’re not done talking about this.” 

They head to one of the parks after a large meal of meat to fight off the inevitable cravings Yunho will have later. It’s somewhere Yunho can hide away his clothes until he can come back to collect them before morning breaks. Hongjoong whistles when Yunho finishes stripping out of his clothes, and the werewolf shoots him a reproachful look over his shoulder. “What?” the fae asks. 

“Stop. I’m taken,” Yunho says. 

“For now.” Hongjoong crosses his arms and looks away when Yunho sends him another glare. “Alright, I get it. I’ll keep my mouth shut from now.” 

Satisfied, Yunho finishes folding up his underwear and places it on top of the small pile he’s made. His skin is already prickling as he looks up at the dark skies. The full moon is the one night he can’t resist his own transformation. Having spent most of his adolescence and now adulthood within human society, he so rarely embraces his animalistic form that it’s more an unpleasant experience than anything else. Yunho never looks forward to these nights, but he doesn’t have a choice. Hongjoong winces and politely averts his gaze when Yunho’s bones begin to crack and reshape, fur growing out of his skin. It only takes a minute or so, but the fae doesn’t envy him for the pain. Still, perhaps only going through the transformation once every full moon is better than constantly renewing a glamour. 

When the sounds of bones creaking and cracking finally stops, Hongjoong turns around to look at Yunho, smiling at the bright hazel eyes that peer up at him through a ring of brown fur. Yunho’s long, triangular ears twitch and perk up, his tail wagging just the slightest bit as he looks up at the red head. 

“Aw, what a cute puppy you are,” Hongjoong coos, reaching out to pat the large wolf on the head. His tail wags harder. “Shall we go for a run?” Yunho’s tail wags so hard it thumps against the tree he’s set his clothes underneath. Hongjoong smiles, pulling away from Yunho, and waving his hand. It’s time to run. 

  
  
  
  


There isn’t a new job when San comes to work that night. He’s not sure if he’s grateful or not. He’d gone out with Seonghwa the night after the execution, chased down a vampire that had been terrorizing the west part of the city and had put her down. It was exactly the kind of vampire they were meant to hunt down, one who took pleasure in killing. After they’d killed her though, San hadn’t felt all that happy; he hadn’t felt much of anything. He wondered what her name was. 

Hyunjin. 

San clears his throat, placing the finishing touches on a cocktail with a small sprig of mint. The name has been haunting him since that night, and everytime he remembers it he’s hit with a pang of guilt. With a forced smile, San places the drink down in front of a customer, before moving over to another customer. He pauses when he recognizes the man in front of him. 

Chan gives him a tight lipped smile and asks for a beer. With a small stutter and nod of his head, San grabs a glass of beer just as he asks, setting it down in front of the older hunter. He takes it with a quiet thank you. “How’s your cousin doing?” 

Chan sighs, taking a gulp of his beer. He heaves a deep breath as he sets it back down on the bar before folding his hands together on top of it. “He ran off.” 

San blanches. “Where?” 

“I don’t know.” 

The bartender wipes down the counter in front of him. “Well, it won’t be long until he’s tracked down. I wouldn’t worry about it,” he assures him. 

“Your father doesn’t want to look for him,” Chan responds quietly, drumming his fingers against the side of his glass. 

“What?” San gasps. “Why not?” 

The elder shrugs his shoulders. “He’s not a hunter. Your father didn’t think it was necessary.” 

San’s fingers curl into fists on top of the counter, and he has to resist the urge to slam them down on top of it. “Not necessary?” he asks in a whisper even though the bastard went through all that trouble just to publicly humiliate and punish the kid.

“I have some people looking for him,” Chan says with a strained smile. “I don’t know what to do once I find him though. He wouldn’t talk to me after that—well, you know.” 

Right. That. San picks up his wet rag again, wiping at the counters just to give him something to do. “Would it be too much to ask if Felix, well, knew? About the vampire, I mean.” 

Chan takes another long sip of his beer, and San figures he might have crossed a line. He shakes his head, trying to let the older hunter know that he’s sorry. Chan didn’t need to answer if he didn’t want to. “He did,” the elder practically gasps out when he sets his beer down again. “That...vampire had been human once. They’d met when he was a human, but after he turned, Felix kept it a secret. He told me he got a night shift job, and that’s why I wouldn’t see him during the day anymore. He covered for the vampire.” 

San sighs. He can’t say he’s surprised, but it certainly made it look worse for Felix. “I guess he really liked him,” he remarks to himself. 

“If he did, he would have let us mercy kill him the second he turned.” San bites his lips and tilts his head down in agreement. He guesses he can’t really refute Chan’s logic at that. 

“Oi, San!” The blond straightens up, head turning in a manner akin to an alert meerkat when he hears his name. Seonghwa walks over to the bar, brushing his bangs away from his eyes before motioning for his partner to come over. “You want to go werewolf hunting?” 

San blinks at him. “Werewolves?” he asks. 

“Yeah. We don’t have a job, but it’s a full moon tonight.” Seonghwa shrugs his shoulders. 

“You should go,” Chan encourages, and San looks down at him. The hunter nods his head towards Seonghwa. 

San throws his towel down on the counter. “Oh, why not?” he agrees. 

  
  
  
  


San turns the gun over in his hand tentatively. It’s not a piece of equipment he’s all that familiar with, usually sticking to knives, daggers, or other bladed weapons. Guns weren’t all that accommodating for most hunts, but they could be effective against wolves who were large and fast moving targets. Silver bullets could maim if not outright kill them. 

San wasn’t much of a werewolf hunter though. He didn’t care about them. For the most part they weren’t much of a menace to society, preferring to stay isolated away from human society, and they mostly stuck to hunting large animals like deer or bison. Every once in a while though, they’d make their way a little too close to human towns and cities, and, on a full moon, they could pose a serious threat. 

Seonghwa was right, though. They didn’t have anything else to do, so they might as well patrol to make sure no wolves caused any trouble tonight. 

San holds the gun out in front of him, closing one eye as he pretends to aim, frowning at his unsteady arm. Sighing, he drops the weapon back down to his side and leans back against Seonghwa’s bike. They’d gone to one of the city parks because Seonghwa wanted to check for pawprints. San opted to wait by the bike because, again, he just wasn’t all that great at hunting down wolves. 

He startles when he hears footsteps rapidly approaching, turning over his shoulder just to see Seonghwa racing back to him. San quickly holsters his gun, scrambling onto the back as Seonghwa barrels towards him. “Well?” he asks as Seonghwa slips onto the bike in front of him. 

“I found tracks,” the elder says. “They’re heading towards the city.” 

“ _Towards_ it?” San repeats. That didn’t sound good. 

“Yeah, and they’re fresh. We can probably catch up before it hurts someone. Or worse.” San just barely wraps his arms around Seonghwa before the elder takes off on the motorcycle. “Keep a lookout!” Seonghwa yells at them as they pick up speed once they’re out of the parking lot. 

San keeps an eye out for a wolf, just as Seonghwa instructed him to. He’s not really feeling it tonight, to be honest, wondering why he gave into Seonghwa’s suggestion. The elder probably would have gone on his own anyways, and San could not in good conscience let his partner hunt on his own. He reminds himself that a werewolf is heading into the city, a much more serious threat than normal, but it doesn’t increase his sense of urgency at all. Whether they catch it or not, San isn’t really sure he cares. 

He’s casually looking around as per Seonghwa’s request, when he catches sight of a pair of glowing, hazel eyes in an alley. His heart seizes, and his throat constricts at the sight, fingers digging into Seonghwa’s shirt as he struggles to say something. 

“Hey, over there,” San says, patting Seonghwa on the side to get his attention. The elder brings the bike to a quick stop, pulling off to the side. 

“Where?” Seonghwa asks as he takes his helmet off. 

San points behind them. “Back there. I saw something in the alley.” 

Seonghwa hangs his helmet on one of the handles, brushing his hair out of the way with his fingers. “Let’s go check it out.” San nods his head along to the suggestion although a feeling of unease settles into his stomach. 

Seonghwa already has his gun out as he heads in the direction San pointed out. The blond reaches into his own holster. He should draw his weapon as well, prepare for anything, but his fingers linger on the heavy metal of his gun, unable to bring himself to draw it. Maybe it has something to do with his inexplicable uncertainty. 

He’s snapped out of his daze by the sound of a gunshot followed shortly by a yelp of surprise and the sound of metal clanging against the concrete. San picks up his pace, running after his partner. “Seonghwa!” he calls for the elder, rounding the corner where he heard the gunshot. He comes to a sudden halt in front of Seonghwa who has his weapon leveled at a werewolf that’s growling at him, teeth bared and hackles raised. 

His unrest only continues to boil in his stomach. The wolf’s growls die down a little at San’s appearance, and it seems to perk up a little at his appearance. “Seonghwa,” he calls for his partner, eyeing the werewolf. 

“What?” the elder asks, shooting him a look over his shoulder. 

The werewolf takes that brief moment to turn tail and run. Seonghwa shouts in alarm, quickly giving chase, and San follows after him, jumping over a trash bin that’s been knocked over. They’re too busy chasing down the werewolf for Seonghwa to notice that San has yet to draw his weapon or else he would have scolded him. Werewolves are fast and nimble, though. It’s difficult enough to keep up with one. 

Seonghwa stops for a moment to take aim at the werewolf but misses again. Releasing a frustrated sigh, Seonghwa takes off after it. San’s legs burn with the effort to keep up, and his lungs feel like they’re on fire. His worries come to quick halt when he sees the werewolf has trapped itself in a dead end. 

It turns its back to the wall, backing up and growling at Seonghwa. Its hazel eyes move rapidly between Seonghwa and San, probably gauging its chance to take them in a fight. San fidgets when the werewolf’s eyes meet his, and he has to look away. His mouth dries, and the sudden urge to say something to his partner overwhelms him. He doesn’t know what, but the desire remains. 

Seonghwa keeps the werewolf pinned in its place expertly with his gun leveled at it, the way a hunter should. San’s fingers brush against his own weapon again, but he doesn’t take it out, hesitating again. San doesn’t know what’s wrong with him. So he’s never had much of a drive to hunt down werewolves, but he’s never had doubts about it before either. Was it because of the other night? Because of that vampire, Hyunjin? 

He parts his lips to say something to Seonghwa, but what comes out of his mouth is a terrified scream when he’s grabbed from behind. Clawed fingers dig into the soft skin of his neck, not enough to break skin, but the threat is obvious. 

Seonghwa responds to it immediately, turning to look at San and the fae holding him. Then the werewolf growls behind him, and the elder hunter looks back to the wolf, keeping his gun leveled at it. San grabs the hands at his throat, trying to pull them away as he glances behind him to see who has him in a grip like this. 

“You again,” he huffs when he recognizes the red haired fae behind him. 

“We meet again, Sannie,” Hongjoong says into his ear although he sounds anything but pleasant. 

“I hoped we wouldn’t,” San grunts, wiggling around in the fae’s hold. “I even let you go unscathed last time and everything.” 

Hongjoong grits his teeth, tightening his grip around the hunter’s neck when San almost breaks free from him. “You sure did,” the fae agrees. “I hope you extend the same courtesy to my friend then. You see, he hasn’t done anything wrong.” 

“We haven’t done anything yet either you know,” San gasps out. 

Hongjoong looks over San’s shoulders to Seonghwa who’s been dividing his attention between the fae and the werewolf. “From where I’m looking, you guys are the ones chasing down a lone werewolf for no reason. Has he fought back? Has he hurt anyone? He was just digging through some garbage. Don’t tell me you’re saving the world from dumpster divers.” 

Seonghwa narrows his eyes at the red head, his jaw tense from the way he must be gritting his teeth together. “A werewolf running into the city on the night of a full moon is cause for concern,” he argues. 

“So you’d put him down before he’s even done something?” Hongjoong shoots back. “By that logic, am I not allowed to kill your partner?” He digs his claws deeper into San’s neck, drawing blood. The werewolf growls then, loud and echoing within this enclosed space, and Hongjoong immediately loosens his grip. “Fine,” he grunts under his breath, but San hears it and frowns. 

“What? I should wait for a human to lose his life before I justify killing a monster?” Seonghwa shoots back. 

Hongjoong’s lips curl back in a snarl. “And who went and dictated that human lives were so valuable?” He eyes the hunter from head to toe. “What a good little hunter you are. They’ve brainwashed you so well, haven’t they? You kill first and ask questions later, just like a hunter should huh? You should be more like your friend here.” He looks down at San, smiling when Seonghwa sneers at him. “He can be reasoned with. He let me go the last time, you know.” 

San looks away, licking his lips, when Seonghwa looks at him. He hadn’t told the older hunter that after all. The blond reaches down into his pocket where he hid his knife and quickly pulls it out, nicking the fae’s hand with it. Hongjoong withdraws from San with a hiss, and the blond quickly stumbles over to Seonghwa, holding his knife out to fend off the fae. 

Hongjoong checks the cut on his hand. It hurts, but it doesn’t burn the way it would if he’d been cut with iron. Silver then. They’d really come prepared to kill a werewolf. 

“You said he got away,” Seonghwa hisses when San comes to his side. 

“He did,” San insists, avoiding the glare the elder sends his way. “With his words. He talked his way out of it.” 

Clutching his bleeding hand, Hongjoong glares over at the werewolf. “I told you,” he hisses, jerking his head in San’s direction. “I told you he was a hunter. Do you believe me now! I said you couldn’t trust him. I _told_ you to leave before you got killed, and now look at us!” The werewolf’s tail hangs low, its ears flat against its head. 

“Do you think you can take care of the fae _this_ time?” Seonghwa asks. “I’ll handle the wolf.” San nods his head mechanically to the question. Yeah, he can do it this time. Hongjoong attacked first, so he can definitely do it this time. 

“Didn’t you want to know how I knew who you were last time, Choi San?” Hongjoong asks, not back down when San takes a step towards him. 

Even Seonghwa startles at the question, the grip on his gun going slack for a moment. “He knows your _name_?” the older hunter gasps out. “You told him your name?” 

“I didn’t tell him my name!” San denies fervently. 

“He didn’t have to,” Hongjoong says, crossing his arms together. “I knew his name.” 

Seonghwa narrows his eyes at the fae, his whole body tense. “How?” 

“Because I know Yunho.” He speaks so gleefully, his eyes briefly flashing a pitch black before returning to normal. Seonghwa cocks his head to the side, his brows knitted together in confusion while San’s jaw drops. 

“Yunho?” San asks. 

“Your boyfriend?” Seonghwa adds on. “Why does he know a fae?” 

“Why do you think?” Hongjoong asks, leaning in towards the blond, smile still plastered to his face. “Why do you think he’d know someone like me?” 

San stares at the fae, suddenly feeling small beneath his gaze. “He’s not a fae,” he finally says, shaking his head. “He’s not—he doesn’t use a glamour. He’s _human_.” 

“Really?” Hongjoong challenges. Then he scoffs, eyes trailing over to the cornered werewolf. “Well, he’s not a fae. I’ll give you that one.” 

Blinking back panicked tears, San follows his gaze, fingers tightening around the hilt of his silver knife when he meets the werewolf’s eyes. He shakes his head. Hongjoong hadn’t even said anything, just implied it, and San wouldn’t believe him. “No, you’re lying,” he denies, looking away from the wolf. It wasn’t Yunho. It _wasn’t_. 

“Fae’s can’t lie,” Hongjoong replies in an icy tone. 

“You’re misleading me!” San accuses. “You can do that. You can’t speak a lie, but you can still effectively do it if you want to! I know how your kind are!” 

“My kind?” Hongjoong repeats, lips pulling up into a smile. He reveals a row of sharp teeth with an expression that has the hunter looking away from him. “That’s true. We can’t lie, so listen to me carefully.” San doesn’t want to though, but he can’t exactly just block out the fae’s voice. “That werewolf right in front of you? That is Yunho. Jung Yunho. The very same one that you live with, share a bed with, claim to love.” The fae sneers at him, expression full of disdain. “Yet you’d hunt him down and kill him in the streets. I guess I don’t expect any better from a hunter.” 

The redhead turns his attention to the werewolf then, pointing an accusing finger at him. “But I expected better from you. You’re packless! I told you to be safe. Have I not always looked out for you, you ungrateful mutt?” 

“He’s _what_?” Seonghwa asks. Even he lowers his gun in surprise, eyes meeting the werewolf’s. They weren’t all that close, but the hunter had met him before. The boy San had been dating for over a year. He never suspected Yunho had been anything but human. 

San drops the knife in his hand, the blade clanging against the concrete ground. His chest heaves as his breathing picks up, and he reluctantly turns to look at the werewolf as well. His whole body trembles when he meets hazel eyes. His stomach rolls from a wave of nausea. Yunho has eyes just like those. 

“And now would be our time to run, Puppy!” Hongjoong calls out. 

The werewolf doesn’t hesitate, making a break for it when he realizes the hunters are distracted. Seonghwa throws himself against the wall with a yelp when the werewolf breaks through them. San, however, doesn’t move, shoved to the ground by the werewolf when he sprints by. Hongjoong barks out a laugh, grabbing the werewolf by the scruff of the neck as he passes by and hauling himself on top of it. 

“Damn it,” Seonghwa curses, quickly pushing himself upright. He holds his gun up to take aim. If he can at least injure the wolf they still have a chance, but by the time his gun is up, the werewolf ducks a corner. “Fuck!” He looks down at San, the blond just staring at the opposite wall while trembling uncontrollably. “San,” he calls for his partner, placing his hand on the blond’s shoulder. San startles at the touch, but the trembling suddenly ceases. He scrambles to his feet, and, without a word, takes off. 

“Hey!” Seonghwa yells for him, taking off after his partner. 

San doesn’t stop even when Seonghwa keeps calling for him. Honestly, the blond doesn’t even hear him over the blood pounding in his ears. The need to go home outweighs all rational thought at this point. He has to go home. Yunho’s probably there. If he just gets home, he can prove that Hongjoong is lying. He can prove it. He just needs to return home. 

  
  
  
  


The thing about fairies is that they can mislead and lie by omission, but they cannot lie with their words. Whatever they say must be truthful, so San doesn’t know why he tries so hard to remain in denial. Yunho is nowhere to be seen when San returns home later that night. He justifies it though. Yunho said he had a work dinner. Of course he would be late, so San stays up the whole night, wrapped up in a throw blanket on the couch. Yunho doesn’t return at any point during the night. 

Eventually night gives way to dawn, the first rays of sunlight peeking in through the window in the living room. His eyes sore and tired from drowsiness, the blond refuses to move even as his stomach cries for food and his brain begs for coffee. Maybe Yunho had a little too much to drink and had to stay at a hotel for the night. Eyes fixed on the door, San foolishly convinces himself that Yunho will walk through it at any moment. 

The sun continues to rise higher every hour, but the apartment remains quiet save for the sound of the clock ticking and the faint sound of the air conditioner. San draws his phone out from his blanket cocoon, frowning at the time. Yunho would have to be at work by now. So, maybe Yunho went from the hotel straight to work? It was perfectly possible. He’d never done it before, but San didn’t think it was outside of the realm of possibilities. 

He should call and make sure that Yunho is okay. Biting his lip, he brings up a familiar contact, hesitating for a split second before hitting the call button. He doesn’t give himself the chance to back down. Bringing the phone up to his ear, San bites on his thumb and listens to the sound of the ring tone. It rings once, twice, thrice then it goes to voicemail. 

Scoffing, San ends the call, looking up at the clock hanging over their TV. He calls again for good measure, but the phone rings before going to voicemail anyways. At a loss for what to do, San drops his phone back down in his lap and rubs his face with his hands. This is a dream. No, it’s a nightmare, he convinces himself. Is Yunho okay? Has something happened? Or had Hongjoong been telling him the truth this whole time? 

For the remainder of the day, San intermittently calls Yunho, but the other man doesn’t pick up. He checks his phone every hour, on the hour, expecting some kind of text that never comes. He keeps calling. Finally, in the evening, someone finally picks up, and the blond’s heart practically leaps into his throat when the call doesn’t go to voicemail for once. 

“Yunho!” he cries out, covering his mouth immediately afterwards. It’s quiet on the other end of the line. “Yunho?” he asks tentatively this time. 

He hears a sigh through the speaker which both reassures him and sets him on edge. “San,” Yunho’s voice filters through the phone, and San sucks in a breath at the sound. “You’ve been calling me all day.” 

“I’ve been worried!” San says. “You didn’t come home last night, and you weren’t answering your phone. I thought something might have happened.” 

Yunho sighs again, sounding tired and frustrated. “San, are we really going to do this?” he asks. 

“Do what?” San asks, his voice wavering slightly. “What are we doing? I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Are you coming home? I’m worried—” 

“I mean this,” Yunho interrupts him. “Pretending like everything is fine and normal.” 

San’s lips quiver, and he struggles to form words. “But everything is okay—” 

Yunho cuts him off again, “No, it’s not, so stop pretending that it is.” 

San tightens his grip on his phone. “Yunho—” 

“I’m not coming home,” Yunho says before San can even say anything. Then he mutters, “I’m not trying to get myself killed.” 

“Yunho, no. I’m not going to—I wouldn’t hurt you!” His protests fall on deaf ears, though, because Yunho hangs up on him. Releasing a shuddering breath, San drops the phone back into his lap. It hadn’t been some kind of dream, and Hongjoong hadn’t lied to him. The blond cups his hands over his nose and mouth, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. What the hell is he supposed to do now? 

He’s been dating a werewolf this whole time. He never knew or even suspected. Yunho had seemed like any other ordinary human. How was San supposed to _know_? 

His eyes travel over to the window, his mind blank as the sun begins to set on the horizon. It occurs to him that he hasn’t moved from the couch since he came home last night. Yunho isn’t coming home. He won’t come home because San is a hunter, and he doesn’t want to die. He rubs his hands together, teeth digging into his bottom lip. The memories from last night haunt him. Hongjoong’s words still echo in his head. 

Is this what being a hunter is about? If not for Hongjoong, Yunho might be dead by now, if not by San’s own hand than by his partner’s. San doesn’t care if he’s a werewolf or whatever. He knows Yunho. He knows the boy that he fell in love with, and he isn’t a danger to society, so what would San have been protecting if he had killed him last night? 

A knock at the door diverts his attention from the sunset, and San instinctively perks up. Scrambling out of his cocoon, the blond nearly trips over the tangle of blankets on his way to the door. His heart soars, his hope renewed as he practically throws himself at the door. 

“Yunho!” he cries out, expecting to see the brunette on the other side of the door. His heart flutters from the anticipation of seeing familiar hazel eyes. Instead he’s met with jet black hair and dark eyes. His smile falls when he sees Seonghwa on the other side of the door. 

His partner doesn’t appear to notice San’s crestfallen expression, pushing his way into the apartment with barely a word of greeting. “We need to talk,” he says to the blond, eyes scanning the apartment curiously. 

“About what?” San wraps his arms around himself in a hug as his door swings shut behind them. 

Seonghwa peers into the kitchen area before he finally turns back to San. “Is he here?” 

“Yunho?” San sniffs. “No. He never returned last night.” 

Seonghwa releases a frustrated breath, shoulders slumping as he places his hands on his hips. He narrows his eyes at the blond, taking a step towards his partner. “Did you know?” he asks. 

“Of course I didn’t!” San protests. He scurries back into the living room to pick up the blanket from the floor. His fingers twist into the soft fabric. “How could you ask me that? I was just as shocked as you last night!” 

“Okay, okay.” Seonghwa holds his hands up in surrender. “I just needed to make sure you hadn’t been trying to cover for him this whole time. That you weren’t still trying to.” 

“Well, I’m not. I haven’t seen him since yesterday.” San drapes the blanket back over his shoulders, holding it tight against his body. 

“San, if your father finds out…” Seonghwa trails off but the warning is evident. 

The blond’s blood suddenly runs cold as sheer panic sets in. He whips his head over to Seonghwa who looks at him with a meaningful expression. Seonghwa is right, and San hadn’t even considered the possibility and what that might mean until just this moment. He immediately thinks back to that vampire’s execution a few nights ago. Hyunjin. The name had been haunting him since the moment Felix screamed for him. All that had just been for show to punish Felix for his indiscretion. 

His father would do the same thing to San if he knew, and he’d make it hell on San. The blond shudders just thinking about it. He can still picture Hyunjin tied up and helpless, could still hear his screams when Seonghwa tore his fangs from his gums. The hell he would put Yunho through—San’s stomach churns at the thought alone. He would torture the werewolf to death because, unlike a vampire, there would be no time limit for him. His father could hold him down and keep him right on the brink of death if he wanted to. 

Hyunjin’s mottled face suddenly comes to the forefront of his mind. He’d cried in that moment, tears streaking down his face. At the time, San had thought it was from the pain. A stake through the heart was quick and efficient, but a death by sunlight is said to be unimaginably painful for a vampire. Now, though, San isn’t so sure. The vampire had cried and writhed against his bounds until the last moment, but he’d been mouthing something over and over again, eyes fixed on his lover until the last moment. 

San doesn’t even think. The blanket falls from his shoulders, pooling on the ground again as the blond lunged for his partner. “Don’t!” he shrieks at Seonghwa, fingers digging into the collar of the elder’s shirt. “You can’t tell him! You can’t tell him no matter what!” 

Seonghwa reaches out to catch the blond when San falls against him, and they stumble back into the wall. “San,” Seonghwa calls for him. 

“You can’t!” The blond shakes Seonghwa as best he can with his grip on the elder’s collar. 

“San!” Seonghwa grabs the young hunter by the wrists, trying to break his grip on Seonghwa’s shirt, but the blond holds tight. 

“You can’t tell him. If you do he’ll—” 

“San!” Seonghwa finally breaks his grip, pushing the blond away from him. San finally quiets down, hiccuping as he stares at his partner with wet eyes. “I’m not going to.” 

San tilts his head to the side. “You’re not?” 

Seonghwa takes a moment to straighten out the collar of his shirt, wrinkling his nose when he sees that it stretches further down than usual. Feeling guilty, San reaches out and brushes his hand over his shirt. Clearing his throat, Seonghwa looks back at San and says, “Yeah. I think we should keep it from him.” 

“Yeah?” San asks in a small voice. 

“As much as I understand our rules and why we have them, I know what he would do to Yunho. I know he’s a werewolf, but I don’t think even he deserves what would happen to him in that case.” San releases a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, clutching his shirt with his hands. “However, there is still the fact that a fae and werewolf are now running around aware of who we are. We need to take care of that.” 

Ah, right. That is problematic. Who knows who they could tell? It’s dangerous in their profession; it could lead to them being hunted down by a supernatural creature in return. San’s breathing picks up again at a rapid rate until he starts to make little squeaking noises. 

“San?” Seonghwa asks, approaching the blond cautiously. He quickly realizes the younger is hyperventilating, and he rushes over to him. “San, you need to calm down. Take a breath.” San sucks in air through pursed lips. “Now hold it.” San follows the elder’s words, holding his breath and waiting for Seonghwa’s permission to exhale. Seonghwa has him follow his instructions a few more times until San seems to have calmed down. 

“I’m okay,” San tells him when he has his breathing under control. 

“Good, but did you hear me earlier?” 

“What? About what?” San asks. 

“The fae and the wolf! I won’t tell your father, but we still need to take care of them. Quietly.” 

San stares at him, uncomprehending. “Yeah. Right,” he agrees when Seonghwa stares at him pointedly. “Right. Quietly.” 

Seonghwa pats him on the shoulder. “Good.” Then he hesitates, running his fingers along his bottom lip. “Listen. If you need me to, I can take care of Yunho, but I need you to find out where he is for me.” 

San forces himself to smile at the offer. “Okay,” he agrees. “I can do that.” 

  
  
  
  
  


Yunho seems to make good on his promise not to come back because three days later, San still hasn’t heard from or seen him since that night. He outright stopped answering San’s calls, or, more like, he probably blocked his number considering how whenever San tries to call it goes straight to voicemail. With very few options left, San does the only thing he can do. He goes to the clinic Yunho works at. 

Yunho turns to wave goodbye as he pushes open the door to leave. San perks up when he spots the brunette, pushing himself away from the wall he’d been leaning against. Yunho doesn’t seem to notice him at first, allowing the door of the clinic to swing shut behind him before he halts, body tense. 

San doesn’t even have a chance to call out to him before Yunho turns around to face him, eyes wide but his expression blank. The blond tries to smile, but he can’t hold it, lips falling down into a frown at the way Yunho stares at him. 

“What are you doing here?” Yunho asks. 

San looks down at his feet, digging the toe of his shoe into the sidewalk. “I needed to talk to you,” he mumbles. 

Yunho glances around their surroundings. “Talk about what? I think it’s clear where we stand.” He moves to leave, but San scrambles to stand in front of him, holding his hands out to stop him but they hover just in front of the werewolf, not touching him. 

“Clear?” San challenges. “No, we’re not.” 

Taking in a deep breath, Yunho crosses his arms over his chest. “Alright, and what isn’t clear for you?” 

“Everything!” San says. “I mean, you’re...really a werewolf, right?” 

Yunho laughs in disbelief, shaking his head. “Seriously? You needed to come all the way here just to ask me that? Why? Clear you conscious before you actually kill me this time?” San opens his mouth to protest, but Yunho cuts him off. “You couldn’t tell when I didn’t return home after I found out my boyfriend was a hunter this whole time!” 

San’s chest constricts, and he takes a step away from the werewolf. Words fail him in this moment, and San can only stare at Yunho. In all their time dating Yunho had never talked to him like that. He’d hardly ever raised his voice at San even when they were fighting. “Okay,” he chokes out. “I just wanted to talk.” 

“Forget it,” Yunho dismisses him. “I don’t want to talk.” 

“Why not?” San asks. 

The werewolf points at him. “You’re armed!” he accuses. “I’m not an idiot, San. Is this just some ruse to get me alone?” He can smell the silver on him.

“Okay!” San cries out desperately, hands digging through his pocket for his knife. He pulls it out, still sheathed, to show to Yunho. He sees the way the werewolf’s eyes flash dangerously at the sight of the weapon, and San quickly tosses it aside into one of the bushes lining the walkway to Yunho’s clinic. Yunho keeps his gaze on it until it’s out of sight, finally meeting San’s eyes again. 

“Are you just going to leave that there?” he asks, tilting his head towards the bushes San had thrown the knife into. 

“I’ll come back to get it later,” San mumbles, casting his gaze down to the ground again. “So can we talk now?” 

Yunho huffs, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his overcoat. “Fine,” he agrees. “Let’s go somewhere else though. We’ll cause a scene if we stay here.” He brushes past San, and the blond eagerly scrambles to follow after him. 

Yunho leads him away from the clinic to the park where he'd met Hongjoong at last time. San follows a couple paces behind the werewolf, eyes fixed on his feet as he forces them to move forward even though they feel like dead weights. Yunho only stops when they’re sufficiently away from the prying eyes of the public. San comes to a halt a few steps away from him, taking in their surroundings for the first time. 

With a start, San realizes that he’s really vulnerable out here alone with Yunho. He’d thrown away his only weapon while Yunho is, theoretically, always armed. 

“Scared?” San jumps at the question, meeting Yunho’s eyes. His pretty hazel eyes are usually so full of warmth, but now they’re only full of suspicion. “Now you know what it feels like.” 

“Listen,” San snaps, trying to channel his anger although it fades as soon as Yunho turns to face him. “I’m not...I’m not trying to kill you. So please stop accusing me of that. I said I wanted to talk. That’s all I want, okay?” 

“A hunter who doesn’t want to kill?” Yunho questions. 

San’s jaw tightens at the tone Yunho takes with him. “What of it? So you’re a werewolf, I know that you’ve never hurt anyone.” 

“Are you sure about that?” Yunho challenges, eyes flashing dangerously. 

San sucks in a breath, averting his eyes, but he nods his head confidently. “Yes, I am.” 

“Alright.” Yunho settles himself, taking a few steps back to lean against one of the trees. “What did you want to talk about then?” 

Looking down at his hands, San fiddles with his fingers. “It’s been four days, and you haven’t come home.” 

Yunho laughs, the sound void and humorless, and San winces at the noise. He’s seeing a side of Yunho he’s never seen before, and he doesn’t like it. “That’s what you came to say?” 

“Why are you making fun of me?” San asks, fingers twisting together. 

“I’m pointing out how ridiculous your request is,” Yunho corrects, turning his head away from the hunter. 

“What’s ridiculous about it?” San demands. “We live together. It’s been four days since I’ve seen you. You won’t pick up my calls. I was worried!” 

“You’re a hunter!” Yunho yells at him. 

San blinks at him. “You’re a werewolf!” he counters. “Besides, I already told you I didn’t want to kill you. Why—” 

“Even if that’s true, staying with you doesn’t make it any less dangerous for me,” Yunho cuts him off. “You’re still a hunter. That puts me in danger by extension.” He runs his hands through his hair. “To think I’d been living with a hunter right under my nose this whole time,” he mutters to himself, but San hears him. 

“Like you’re any better!” the blond retorts. “You didn’t tell me that you weren’t human.” 

“See!” Yunho says, taking a few steps towards San as the blond backs away from him. “This is why I can’t return. Look at this mess, San. You’re a hunter, and I’m a werewolf. This is never going to end pleasantly for us.” San stiffens up, Hyunjin’s face flashing through his mind again. “Hongjoong told you that I’m packless, didn’t he? Do you know what that means?” The blond shakes his head, unable to say anything between Yunho’s words. “It means that I’ve been fighting for survival this whole time. I want to _live_.” 

“I’m not trying to kill you—” 

“But what about your friends? Your family?” San presses his lips together, unable to summon a good answer to that. “I’m a survivor, San. It’s what I do,” Yunho tells him. 

San blinks away the tears gathering in his eyes. He knows where this is going, but he doesn’t know how to stop it. He feels helpless, and he hates it. “I don’t...understand,” he says slowly. 

Sighing, Yunho looks down at the blond’s linked hands, his fingers twisting and pulling each other, and he resists the urge to reach out and hold onto them. “I’m saying I’m not going back, San. Ever. Honestly, I’m planning to leave the clinic too since you know where I work.” 

“Why? Yunho—” 

“Don’t, San. It’s over for us. And it’s probably best that way, for both of us. Don’t try to call me anymore. Don’t try to find me anymore. I’m not going back. I’m going to survive.” He looks at the human, carefully watching as the blond struggles to process his demands. A small part of him feels bad, and the urge to comfort the human tugs at his mind, but he shakes it off. Three nights ago, San would have killed him. He holds onto that memory and to that fear and anger, pushing himself forward with those emotions. When he’s satisfied, the werewolf departs, leaving behind the human to stare at the ground. 

So that was it then? San isn’t sure why he hadn’t seen it coming. Yunho hadn’t come home, and he’s right. There is no happy ending for a werewolf and a hunter. They’d broken up days ago, but San had been living in denial about it. The tears come soon after, dripping from the corners of his eye as the blond futilely tries to wipe them away. It can’t even be half as painful as what Chan’s cousin had endured, but this feels a lot like losing Yunho in the worst way possible. 

What was worse? Losing the person you loved because they were afraid of you, or losing the person you loved to Death’s embrace knowing that they at least loved you to their dying breath? 

San wants to laugh, but he only receives more tears for his efforts. Hyunjin let Felix know that he loved him in his last moments. Yunho hadn’t even given San a chance to prove his. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> San knows how to survive just as well as anyone else

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I, uh, don't know how I feel about this story anymore, but I keep writing it sooooo

One could argue that the cruelest creatures of all were humans. Hunting for sport isn’t a phenomenon unique to humans, but hunting their own kind for sport is something uniquely human. And yet, not all humans kill. Most can go their entire life without killing someone, but every once in a while a particularly vile human comes along, wrecking havoc as they hunt and kill their own. Yet how can society parse out and punish these vile humans? Does it assume all humans are guilty until otherwise proven? 

No. Only those humans that commit the most heinous of acts are appropriately punished, so why is it that this courtesy is not extended to those that are not human? 

Because a fae can kill a human does it mean she will? Because a werewolf can hunt a human does it mean he will? And because a warlock can sacrifice a human does it mean he will? Many creatures can go their entire lifetimes without killing a human, so why are hunters so quick to pass judgement?

These are all doubts that have plagued San since his training began at a young age. Doubts that he’d been forced to clamp down on and bury underneath his father’s teachings. He still remembers the time his sister had come back to their shared room, cheek red and tear tracks staining her cheeks. San had been too young to start his training still while Haneul had just started that year after her birthday. 

San had abandoned his coloring books on the floor to run over to her. “What’s wrong?” he asked, reaching out to touch her cheek. She had brushed him off and told him not to worry about it. She wouldn’t tell him what had happened, and San only figured out later that it was probably their father who had done it. No, it had definitely been him. For what, he hadn’t known at the time, only piecing it together later, at an older age. 

His mother had been absolutely furious when she’d seen the state of her daughter later that night, demanding to know what had happened. San had listened from underneath the bed where he’d taken refuge after hearing the sound of footsteps stomping towards their room. Haneul had urged him underneath the bed, both fearing that it was their father. She even kicked his coloring book underneath it as well, hiding any evidence of the younger boy’s presence. It had been their mother though, throwing up the door with a stormy expression as she demanded to know what happened. Haneul had explained that she had just done poorly in her class, and their father had disciplined her for it. 

“Done poorly how?” their mother demanded. 

Haneul had remained silent, San watching from beneath the bed as his sister froze up. He probably could have crawled out from underneath the bed at this point, but their mother’s anger kept him cowering under the bed. He didn’t understand at the time why she had been upset. 

“We were discussing Uncle’s recent hunt,” his sister finally explained. “We were learning the dangers of hunting a warlock and how we can best dispatch them.” 

“And?” their mother prompts. 

More silence. San curled his fingers into little fists as he stared at the feet of his sister and his mother. “I asked what crime the warlock had committed,” Haneul finally admitted. “Our duty as hunters is to protect humans who wouldn’t be able to protect themselves! So, I...just wanted to know what the warlock had done.” She trailed off after that, but their mother didn’t say anything. She just waited for Haneul to continue on her own. “Father said that he was a criminal the second he had been born a warlock.” 

“And he hit you for that?” their mother asked, voice raising in volume. 

San flinched, and his sister took a step away from their mother. “No,” she protested quickly. “No. I—I just thought we should hunt the ones who we know have done something bad. I spoke out of line.” San watched as she dug her toes into the carpet. “I’m sorry.” 

“Oh, honey.” Their mother kneeled in front of her so that they were eye level. “You weren’t wrong at all. Your father just didn’t want to hear it. I’ll talk to him, okay?” 

Haneul hadn’t said anything, but San imagined she probably nodded her head. Thus had begun the siblings small rebellions during classes and training. Hunting was okay. It was a good thing, in fact, because they were there to protect their fellow humans from those creatures who were dangerous, but not all of them were dangerous. That was what both of them consistently stood by, always hiding behind the shield their mother provided them with whenever either mouthed off to their father or other instructors. 

But San had only been in the beginning of his training when his mother had passed away, and whatever dissenting opinion he may have had were quickly squashed afterwards. He swallowed every pill his father fed to him for his own comfort and survival. He forced back every doubt he ever had, doing his job with his head down. Anything to keep his father’s judging gaze from him. His track record had been fairly poor, though, so eventually his father had assigned Seonghwa to him as a partner. They were to work together, and San was to learn how to be a better hunter from him. 

To be fair, for a while, Seonghwa had been effective in his role whether he knew it or not. Many of the doubts San had were often eased by the older hunter. They primarily hunted vampires who were known to have left a string of victims behind in their wake, the very targets that San always figured was the reason they even existed. Seonghwa, who had lost his parents to a vampire and then later his sister who had been tricked into a fairy court, tortured and played with until she died from exhaustion, was perhaps the perfect influence on him. At least until lately. The doubts that always lingered in the back of San’s mind coming back with a vengeance. 

However, Haneul, who had been too vocal for too long, had been banned from hunting. She’d been disciplined one too many times during training before their father ultimately decided that she wasn’t cut out to be a hunter. She completely flipped in response, trying to prove that her views now aligned perfectly with their father’s. The supernatural were a hazard to human lives by their existence alone, therefore there is no need to pass judgment. Judgement had been passed from the second they were born. These are the justifications given to hunters. Justifications that San has always questioned, and which he now can’t stop thinking about. 

They help keep his mind from straying to thoughts of Yunho. 

He hasn’t dwelled much on the werewolf lately, hasn’t had the chance to. He can’t afford it at work because while no one else may know, Seonghwa does, and San can’t risk his partner's suspicions. Seonghwa agreed to keep Yunho a secret from his father for now but only under the condition that they take care of the werewolf quietly. San has to keep up appearances in front of the elder less he risk exposing himself. 

And at home...forget it. Coming home to an empty apartment is bad enough, all of Yunho’s belongings still hanging around. San does anything to keep his mind from wandering during those moments. 

The memories of that vampire’s execution also keep San’s thoughts at bay. According to Chan, his cousin had fled only hours after the incident and still has yet to be located. Of course, they hadn’t launched an official investigation to find him. It was just Chan working on his own. Even still, San can’t help but admire the young man. With almost no plan, through sheer determination, he just up and disappeared. The blond toys with the idea of doing the same. If Felix could run why not him? 

There are problems with that idea, however. For one, he’d be putting Seonghwa in a bad spot. The older hunter probably wouldn’t suffer too much because of him. Seonghwa was a good hunter, and his father greatly valued him. He was only really with San because his father hoped he would learn something from the elder, but he’d still be putting Seonghwa in a bad position. Then there’s the fact that his father wouldn’t let him leave without a fuss. Unlike Felix, San is a hunter. Just up and running away isn’t a viable option for him. Even worse is the fact that San isn’t just any old hunter, he’s the head of their clan’s son. More than anything his father wouldn’t stand for the embarrassment. He would hunt San down and drag him back himself if he had to. 

No, if San wants to leave, he’ll need to bide his time, wait for the right opportunity to find him. He needs to be smart about this. If he just plays this smart he can succeed. 

His phone vibrates on the table, pulling the blond from his fantasies. Staring down at the device, San takes a moment before he picks it up. He knows it’s not Yunho, so he doesn’t really care. However, it could be important. It’s probably important. With a sigh, he bends down to pick it up. It’s from Seonghwa. 

_ We have a job. _

San licks his lips, fingers tightening their grip around his phone. He resists the urge to throw it back down against the table. They have a job. He doesn’t care. Still, there are expectations. He has a duty to fulfill and a mask to wear. 

  
  
  
  


“What’s the job?” San asks, kicking opening the door of the restaurant’s back room. Seonghwa looks up from taking stock of his equipment when he enters, evidently surprised to see the blond. San pauses to look his partner over. The elder is already geared up and ready to go, and the blond cocks a brow at him. “Are you that eager to go?” he asks. 

“No.” Seonghwa smoothes his hands down his black shirt. “I just figured I would be on my own tonight.” 

San heads for his locker to take out his own gear. “We hunt in pairs for reasons, don’t we?” he asks, quickly pulling on a jacket and looking over his small assortment of weapons. “Don’t you love following rules anyways?” he asks, slipping a knife into his back pocket. He takes out a small dagger as well, tucking it into his boot. 

“I wasn’t planning on hunting,” Seonghwa says. 

San looks over at him, acknowledging that he’s probably telling the truth. When Seonghwa is actually planning to hunt, he’s usually decked out in his gear, prepared for anything really, but he doesn’t have his weapon belt on, although San’s sure he’s hiding a blade somewhere on his person. “No?” he asks. “I thought we had a job.” 

“We do,” Seonghwa confirms. “I didn’t know if you were coming or not though. You didn’t answer my text.” 

“You said we had a job. Of course I’d come.” 

Seonghwa watches as he closes his locker, tilting his head to the side when San declares that he’s ready to go. “You haven’t been coming in lately, so I just figured I’d be on my own.” 

San stuffs his hands into the front pocket of his jeans. He purses his lips together, feigning innocence at Seonghwa’s implication. “I’ve just been busy at home,” he says. “But now we have a job, so I figured I should come in.” He’d told Seonghwa that Yunho had more or less disappeared, and that he’d been working from scratch to find him. “So, what is it?” he asks. “The job.” 

Crossing his arms over his chest, Seonghwa observes his partner for a moment longer before finally giving in. “We got a job for a warlock.” 

San slips his hands out of his pocket, nodding his head slowly as he absorbs Seonghwa’s words. Warlocks were something of an enigma. It’s rare for them to receive a job to hunt a warlock, mostly because they were so hard to track down in the first place. There’s also the added hazard that hunters were typically ill equipped to deal with magic users. Fae were often difficult to hunt for the same reason. 

“A warlock?” he repeats, looking over to Seonghwa. 

“Worried?” the elder asks, a teasing lilt to his voice. 

“Surprised,” San answers, choosing his words carefully. “Also a little worried, yes.” San had never actually hunted a warlock before. He vaguely remembers promising his mother that he wouldn’t, not unless one had committed the worst sin a warlock could make. “So, what’s he done?” he asks. 

Seonghwa gives him an odd look. “How do you mean?” 

“You know,” San shrugs his shoulders, “what forbidden spell has he used? How many humans has he sacrificed?” He asks each progressive question in a quieter voice, tone becoming move conspiratory. 

“Who knows?” Seonghwa answers. “We only caught wind of him because of a tip off.” He smiles at the expression on the blond’s face. “You seem disappointed.” 

“No,” San denies quickly, looking away from Seonghwa. “It was just anticlimactic is all.” 

Seonghwa shakes his head at San’s reasoning. “What? You really want to hunt down a dangerous warlock that’s sacrificed hundreds of children? Is that it?”

San winces at the question, pressing his lips together in a frown. It sounds much worse when Seonghwa phrases it like that. “No,” he says, exaggerating the o sound with his lips. “But it would have been a lot cooler that way, right?” 

“That’s not our job,” Seonghwa reminds him. 

“Right,” San agrees with a curt nod. “Shall we go hunt down a warlock?” San asks. 

The older hunter reaches out to hold the blond at bay when San immediately heads for the exit. “Whoa, calm down there,” he says, blocking the exit when San heads for it. “We’re not hunting a warlock tonight.” 

San takes a couple steps back from Seonghwa after he blocks the door, looking his partner up and down with an odd expression. “We’re not?” he asks. Well, that could certainly explain why Seonghwa isn’t armed to the teeth like he would be if he knew he would be going on a hunt. So what exactly is Seonghwa preparing for? “You said we have a job.” 

“We do,” Seonghwa assures him, “but just because we do doesn’t mean that we’re ready to move in. This time it’s a warlock we’re after. If we don’t prepare properly we could end up with more collateral damage than necessary.” 

Right. Seonghwa has a good point. “So, we’re collecting more intel?” 

“Exactly.” 

A thought occurs to San then. He curls his bottom lips over his teeth, biting down into it to suppress a smile. Wait and play it smart. He could do this. A warlock could be useful. “Okay,” he agrees. “It makes sense. So,” he finally lets his smile show, turning back to Seonghwa, “what should I do?” 

  
  
  
  


The thing about hunting a warlock is that they are rather unpredictable. They don’t have certain exploitable habits. They don’t have to drink blood like a vampire or go running under the full moon like a werewolf. Their fickle nature made them difficult to hunt. It was also a testament to their nature. Did it come from their human half or their demon half? Because of this nature, hunting one could be difficult if not downright dangerous. 

San has never hunted a warlock in his life, never thought about it, never really wanted too either. Gathering information is much easier than hunting, and, more importantly, it offers San the opportunity to work independently. Seonghwa had given him a list of locales the warlock had been spotted at and instructed him to see if he could find out any more information. San had worked the case diligently, helping to gather enough information for the hunters to feel comfortable enough moving in. 

San has to keep himself from moving too hastily during the whole process, reminding himself to be patient. All he has to do is play this game smarter than his father. 

That’s why he’s at Vapor again. 

It’s a curious location for a warlock and fae, but it’s probably the one chance he’ll get. Seonghwa is off doing his own thing. There are no other hunters here. It’s just San, on the pretext of gathering intel. He stirs his vodka soda around with the thin little straw the bartender had given him, eyes constantly scanning the other patrons in search of a familiar face. He’s only been staking out the place for about twenty minutes when he sees him. Hongjoong. 

San smiles at the sight of red hair in the corner of his eyes. The fae sure has a way of standing out, but maybe it’s just his way of blending into human society. Setting his drink down on the counter, he waits and watches. Truthfully, he’s not really sure where exactly they meet up, or how exactly they manage it. San assumed some kind of magic probably did the trick for them though. Why they choose to meet here is beyond him though. 

The hunter waits for Hongjoong to disappear into the back as he always does before he slides off the bar stool, making his way to the same back area of the club. It’s a lot quieter back there, the lights bright in comparison to the dimly lit bar floor. San pauses, watching as Hongjoong disappears behind a door bearing the sign “Restricted Access. Authorized Personnel Only.” 

He hums appreciatively under his breath. So that’s what they do. How smart. Looking around to make sure it’s empty, San follows after him although he stops just short of opening the door. He doesn’t need to after all. Almost as soon as he reaches the door, it swings open, Hongjoong’s face greeting him on the other side. San smiles when the fae’s eyes flash, turning a pitch black for a moment. 

“You again,” he says. 

“Me again,” San confirms. 

Hongjoong quickly steps out of the room, shutting the door behind him. “What do you want?” he asks. 

San motions to the door. “I came to talk to your friend. The warlock.” 

Hongjoong tenses, eyes narrowing at the hunter. “You’ve been following us,” he accuses. 

“I’m a hunter. It’s kind of my job.” 

“Your job?” the fae asks, lips pulled back in a familiar snarl. It seems to be his favorite expression when it comes to San. “Is it your job to target me and everyone I know? That seems oddly suspicious. Me, then Yunho, and now Yeosang?” 

San makes a frustrated noise in the back of his throat. “You’re not all that special,” he scolds, eyeing the fae reproachfully. “If that’s how you feel, maybe you need to teach your friends how to better keep a low profile. Then they wouldn’t get caught.” 

“You—” Hongjoong raises his fist like he’s going to strike the hunter, so San flinches away. 

“I’m not here to hurt anyone, okay? I just wanted to talk to the warlock,” the hunter says. 

“Talk?” Hongjoong repeats. “Hunters don’t know how to talk.” San releases a breath, but holds his tongue. He stares at the door pointedly, waiting for Hongjoong, but the fae doesn’t let him pass. Instead he leans in until they're practically nose to nose, and San pulls away from him. “Your friend keeps following me,” he says, his eyes dark again. San can tell his glamour is slipping. “I don’t suppose that has anything to do with your sudden appearance.” 

The blond warily eyes the fae. Seonghwa had been working on trying to catch Hongjoong, but, as far as he could tell, his partner hadn’t had any luck recently. “He’s a worrywart,” he finally says, lunging into Hongjoong’s personal space to try and scare the fae back, but the redhead doesn’t bite. “He’s worried that a fae and werewolf knows who he is now. That’s all. But if it makes you feel any better he hasn’t made any progress on you yet. Just keep doing whatever you’re doing and he’s bound to give up.” He looks Hongjoong from head to toe. “I think,” he adds for good measure. Eventually the jobs will add up, right? Seonghwa wouldn’t have time to keep tracking him down then. 

“And you?” Hongjoong asks. 

San links his hands together behind his back and looks up at the ceiling. “What about me?” he asks, startling when he hears the sound of footsteps. Looking to the end of the hall, he watches as a security guard passes by, not seeming to even notice them. 

“We’re glamoured,” Hongjoong says. “Stop freaking out.” 

“Who’s freaking out?” San asks defensively, brushing himself down with his hands. “I wasn’t about to get kicked out before I even got what I wanted.” 

“And what do you want?” Hongjoong asks. 

San looks at him with obvious frustration. Then he nods towards the door. “I want to talk to your friend.” 

“And Yunho?” the fae persists. 

The hunter’s smile falters as he clenches his jaw. He hasn’t thought about the werewolf for awhile. “Are you asking just to spite me?” he asks. 

“Your friend is keeping an eye on me. Is it not natural to assume you’re doing the same? We both know who you are.” Hongjoong gives him a once over, that disapproving expression never once leaving his face. San tries to clamp down on his bitter resentment, looking away from the fae. 

“As far as anyone knows, he hasn’t returned home, and he left the clinic that he works at,” San answers. Hongjoong’s brows knit together as his explanation, but he doesn’t comment on the hunter’s lie. San finally looks back at him, managing a smile. “I don’t know where he is. Now will you let me talk to your friend?”

Hongjoong tilts his chin up. “He doesn’t want to talk to you. We try not to make it a habit to speak to hunters.” He moves to open the door, but San reaches into his pocket, pulling out a slip of paper and shoving it into Hongjoong’s hand before the fae can leave. The redhead stares at the crumpled piece of paper in his hand before looking up at the blond. “What’s this?” he asks. 

“Give it to your friend,” San requests, slipping his hands back into his pocket. “Then see if he’ll talk to me or not.” 

Curious, Hongjoong unfolds the note in his hand, taking a peek at the message there. 

_ You’re being hunted_. 

He scoffs at the message, lifting his eyes up to meet San’s gaze. “Seriously?” 

San nods to the door. “Do it,” he challenges. 

Rolling his eyes, Hongjoong slips back into the room. Satisfied, San patiently waits for only a few minutes before the door opens again, the fae poking his head out. “Alright, he’s willing to talk.” 

“I thought he’d be,” San says with a pleased grin. He moves to slip past the fae, but Hongjoong grabs him by the shoulder, pushing him back. “What?” he asks, growing impatient with the fae’s behavior. 

“Your knife.” He gives San a pointed once over. Sucking in a sharp breath, San fingers the sheath of his blade, pulling it from his jacket and slapping it into Hongjoong’s waiting palm. He gives the fae a thin smile, but before he can duck into the room, Hongjoong asks, “Aren’t you going to ask me about Yunho?” He tilts his head to the side. 

Fighting back a snarl, San forces a smile on his face instead. “If I asked would you even tell me anything?” Hongjoong’s silence is answer enough, and San shakes his hand from his shoulder. “If you’ll excuse me then.” He ducks into the room, door swinging shut behind him. 

  
  
  
  


The room isn’t anything like San expects, and yet he can’t say that he’s surprised. A part of him truly suspected they might have been using a supply closet of some sort to hold their secret meetings or whatever it is they do, but the room feels more like a private lounge sans the presence of any alcohol or snacks. San wonders what the point of it is in that case. 

His eyes trail up to the figure lounging on one of the seats, and San’s lips twitch. So this must be the warlock. Yeosang. He sure has a gift in changing his appearance. “You never look the same,” San remarks, taking a step towards the seat opposite the warlock, pausing right behind it. He’s unsure if he should be getting comfortable right now. 

“Keeping tabs on me, are you?” Yeosang asks. 

“I assume you read my message, so I assume you know the answer to that,” San replies, fingers trailing along the back of the chair. “We know at least some of your favored forms although I doubt we know all of them.” His eyes trail across the warlock’s form, paying particular attention to his head. A set of pretty antlers rest on top of his head, gleaming white with a twine of colorful flowers decorating them. A fae’s touch, perhaps? Something about them feels oddly familiar too, but San can’t pinpoint why. 

“I don’t suppose this is your real form?” 

“Real form,” the warlock repeats, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “Sounds so boring. What’s reality anyways?” He smiles at San, but the hunter doesn’t return it, his expression hard and cold. 

“Unlike you, I don’t live in the realm of magic. Reality sucks.” 

Yeosang scoffs at his answer before taking in a deep breath. “Hongjoong said you wanted to speak. About what?” 

“Why do you guys meet here?” San asks, finally deciding to slide into the seat he’s been eyeing for the past minute. “It’s a weird place to meet, isn’t it? A human nightclub? What do you guys do every week anyways?” He stares down at the empty table between them. “You don’t even drink.” 

“Is that what you came here to discuss?” Yeosang says. He lifts one hand up though, thumb pressed to his middle finger, and waits until San looks up at him. He snaps his finger once, the sound echoing through the small room and San almost jumps in his seat when a glass of beer appears before him. “You wanted to know about the personal affairs of a fae?” 

Scowling, San snatches the beer in front of it, cradling the drink close to his chest. “No,” he answers, taking a sip of alcohol. “You got my message, didn’t you? You’re being hunted.” 

“Are you concerned for me?” Yeosang asks, a smile stretching across his lips. “I can assure you I know how to take care of myself.” 

“I’m not doubting you,” San corrects him. “I’m letting you know that my family has taken the time to thoroughly investigate you, and that they’re now confident they can kill you. I came to warn you. I know when and where they plan to strike.” 

Yeosang crosses one leg over the other and wraps his hands over his knee. Leaning forward, he asks, “And you would tell me this out of the goodness of your heart?” 

San takes a few more gulps of his beer, gasping in a breath when he pulls the glass away. He wipes his mouth with the back of his free hand and grins at the warlock. “Do you think I have a good heart?” he retorts. It’s a rhetorical question. He doesn’t expect Yeosang to answer him, so he finishes off the last of the beer and slams the empty glass back on the table. 

Yeosang looks at him with an unreadable expression that sets the hunter on edge. “As it so happens, I do think you have a good heart, San.” 

The blond scoffs at his response, turning his head away and stopping just short of rolling his eyes. “Oh please,” he mutters under his breath, “I know exactly what you guys think of me.” Yunho and Hongjoong were both crystal clear about their feelings regarding San. He wouldn’t expect the warlock to be anyway different. “I’m here to make you a deal. I’ll tip you off about the hunters, but I want your help in exchange.” 

Yeosang cocks his head to the side, one flower falling free from his antlers, floating down to rest in his lap. “My help?” he questions. “What would you need my help with?” 

“To disappear,” San answers without hesitation. 

The pleasant smile Yeosang had been wearing up until that point finally falters. Although whether from surprise or something else, San can’t tell. “Disappear?” the warlock repeats. “What do you need to do that for?” 

“Do you need to know that?” San snaps. 

Yeosang scoffs. “Yes, I suppose that is true.” He’s quiet for a moment, perhaps weighing the value of San’s information against the risk of helping a hunter. 

Clearing his throat, San opens his mouth and begins to list off several locations, watching with a carefully blank expression as Yeosang startles, eyes widening when he realizes that the hunter is listing off every location he regularly visits. “Would you like me to go into detail about every glamour we know you wear?” San asks. 

“No, I think you’ve shown me enough.” Yeosang straightens up in his seat, perhaps unsettled by San’s knowledge. “Very well.” He claps his hands together and nods his head once. “I’ll take you up on that offer. Now, tell me what you know.” 

“No,” San says. 

“No?!” Yeosang asks. 

“I want a contract,” the hunter clarifies. 

Yeosang sputters at the request. “A contract? What for? I’ve already agreed to your deal, haven’t I?” 

“I want a contract,” San insists. 

“No.” 

The blond presses his lips together and looks away, feigning indifference. “Then die.” Yeosang huffs, lips curling into a smile at the hunter’s audacity. “I’m not looking to add anything crazy to it. I just want a contract.” 

“You don’t trust me?” Yeosang challenges him.

“Of course not,” San snorts without missing a beat. “Why would I trust you?” Then, under his breath, he adds, “Why would I trust anyone?” 

The warlock studies him for a moment, running his fingers along his bottom lip thoughtfully. San doesn’t back down though, keeping his arms crossed stubbornly. “Your friend, the fae,” San nods his head over to the door. “I let him go once. A while ago. My partner has been hunting him since then, worried that our identities are compromised. Shall I let him know that the warlock we’re hunting is not only friends with him but is also providing him a glamour? He’s  _ very _ good at extracting information.” San had witnessed what Seonghwa was capable of. Torturing a warlock would be no big deal for him. 

“I don’t appreciate your threats,” Yeosang grits out with narrowed eyes. 

“I don’t appreciate your indecision,” San shoots back. “Contract or I promise you that you’ll be dead by the end of this week. Maybe your fae friend will be too.” 

“And what’s to stop me from killing you?” Yeosang threatens, lifting a finger up to point at San. Magic sparks from the tip of his finger, but San doesn’t even bat an eye at him. 

“Do it,” he challenges, leaning back into his chair nonchalantly. “Unlike you, I have nothing to lose. I wouldn’t be seeking out your help otherwise.” 

Yeosang finally relents with a sigh before lifting a hand up to wave once. A piece of paper and one of those overpriced fountain pens appear before the warlock and he reaches out to take both. “Very well,” he concedes. “Shall we write up a contract then?” 

San can’t help the grin the tugs at his lips. Finally, he’s getting somewhere. “My terms are the same. Help me disappear, and I’ll tell you everything I know.” 

“You’ll add nothing more?” Yeosang glances over the top of the paper to the hunter. 

“My only other stipulation is that you don’t compromise me,” San says. Yeosang hums but doesn’t protest the notion, adding it onto the contract without a fuss. The blond watches him, hesitating for a second. “You can’t say anything to that fae. Or Jung Yunho,” he adds before the warlock can finish the contract. 

The warlock pauses, lowering the contract down again to peer at San curiously. “Okay,” he agrees, twirling the pen around in his hand. “Hongjoong I can understand. Why this Jung Yunho though?” 

San looks away when Yeosang meets his eye. He bites his lips, thinking over his next words carefully. “If you know Hongjoong then there’s a pretty good chance you know Yunho. Or you will at some point.” He crosses his arms over his chest. “Anyways, if you don’t know him then it doesn’t hurt you to just add it, does it?” 

“Very well,” Yeosang agrees, adding on the hunter’s last stipulations before he signs the bottom of the contract. He eyes the blond across from him again before he sets the contract and pen down on the table between them, sliding it over towards San. The blond reaches out to look it over, eyes scanning the simple contract. When he’s satisfied, he signs his name under Yeosang’s. He slides the contract back over to the warlock. 

Picking it up, Yeosang neatly folds it in half, pinching along the crease he creates. San watches him, holding back a startled gasp when Yeosang crumbles the contract between his hands, the piece of paper disappearing in a burst of blue flames. The hunter stares at him with wide eyes. Does this mean the contract is void or what?

“It’s been fulfilled,” Yeosang says as if he can read the hunter’s mind. “Give me a week to set things up. Can you wait that long?” 

“I’ll lie low,” San agrees. “Don’t do anything to fuck me over in the mean time.” 

“I won’t,” Yeosang assures him. “I can’t. The contract won’t let me.” San nods his head, satisfied with his response. He opens his mouth to fulfill his half of the bargain, but Yeosang starts speaking again, and his words bring the hunter to a halt. “What a curious position you’re in.” San turns to look at him. Yeosang smiles at him, but it’s a smile of pity more than anything else. “You can’t trust either humans nor my kind.” The hunter licks his lips before clenching his teeth. Yeosang tilts his chin up, so that he can look down at the hunter. “I wonder if you’ll be able to survive as you are.” 

San laughs at the question. Yunho had said he was a survivor. Why couldn’t San do the same? “I guess we’ll find out.” 

  
  
  
  


Ultimately San and Seonghwa are told to sit out from the hunt on the warlock. Seonghwa is visibly disappointed, but San’s father claims that he thinks the mission too dangerous to send their younger hunters in to deal with it. San feigns his own disappointment and asks his father to reconsider. Seonghwa and San had worked so hard to help gather the intel. Should they not be allowed to at least participate?

His father gives him a hint of a smile, proud that San seems eager to participate, but he still declines the offer. “Truthfully, this matter is personal,” he tells his son. “I want to take care of it myself. I need to make sure this warlock is gone. Then we can talk about it.”

San nods his head in understanding while internally confused by his father’s words. Personal? Did Yeosang have a history with his family? He doesn’t pry though. Now isn’t the time for a lot of reasons. He has his own preparations to make and being excused from participating in what San knows will be a failure only provides him more time to finish.

It all provides him an alibi anyway. 

Sure enough, later that night, Seonghwa calls him while San runs his fingers through his newly dyed hair to tell him that the hunt had been a bust, and his father is more than a little angry about it. It had been Yeosang’s suggestion. “You stand out too much with light hair. You already have a rather distinct face. You’ll want to do your best to look like a normal human from now on.” 

San pulls a strand down in front of his face, unsure of how he feels about the dark color. It’s not terrible, he reasons. It’s just different. 

“I don’t understand,” San asks, finally pulling his fingers away from his hair to pick up his phone from the sink counter. “Our information was detailed. We picked out his patterns. He  _ should _ have been there.” It feels a little bad to put up an act like this in front of his partner, but Seonghwa is the one person he has to deceive better than anyone, San reasons. If Seonghwa doesn’t suspect he’s up to anything, then surely nobody else knows. 

Seonghwa sighs, and San waits with bated breath for what the elder will say next. “Unfortunately it’s just one of the reasons why warlocks can be so difficult to hunt.” San holds a hand up to his chest, a little sigh of relief escaping him although he’s careful to keep it quiet so that Seonghwa won’t hear him. “It’s possible one of us did something that tipped him off or made him suspicious. From what I can tell this warlock is old. He probably knows his way around hunters.” 

“I was careful to keep my distance, though,” San says, brushing his bangs out of his eyes. He doesn’t mention how he met with the warlock in private, of course. “I don’t think he ever noticed me. What about you?” 

“I don’t think so either,” Seonghwa says. “But who knows. I’ve always thought warlocks to be incredibly smart.” 

“Do you think it could have been Haneul?” 

Seonghwa sighs. “You don’t need to blame her for everything,” he says. 

“I’m not!” San denies, still playing his part. This is just par for the course for him. “I’m just saying. You know how she is! She always does whatever she can to please Dad. Maybe she got a little too overzealous and blew her cover.” 

“It doesn’t matter,” Seonghwa says, forever playing the diplomat between the two siblings. “It could have been any of us who tipped him off, and we don’t even know if that’s the case or if he just got lucky.” 

“Well, what do we do now?” 

“Unfortunately there’s nothing we can do,” Seonghwa sighs. “If your father wants to go after him again, he’ll likely need to assemble a new team for surveillance since all of us are potentially compromised.” 

San stares at himself in his bathroom mirror for a long moment, thinking about what he’s about to do. Will he really go through with this? Yeah, San can’t imagine backing out. Not now. Not anymore. He’s sick of living under his father’s thumb, constantly fearing that his father’s anger might turn to him at any moment. Will he really not tell Seonghwa? San is a little more divided on that. If he was sure Seonghwa wouldn’t compromise him, San probably would. He’s his partner, his friend, and San thinks he should probably know, but doing that would put him at risk.

Yeosang had questioned if he even had what it takes to survive. Yunho had prioritized his survival over hearing San out. Taking in a deep breath, San hardens his resolve. He can survive just as well as any of them. He had what it takes, besides who would look for him once he's gone? His family? And they would only do it to prove a point and make an example out of him. San isn’t so worried about them. Hunters would never be able to track him on their own, and they’d be much too prideful to ever ask for help. If San could avoid them he would be in the clear. 

So keeping everything from Seonghwa is a must. San knows him too well. Seonghwa wouldn’t just leave or accept San’s departure silently. Unlike San who had been born into the profession, Seonghwa had joined at a later age, determined to make something of himself after losing his family to different supernatural creatures. San couldn’t blame him. His hatred came from somewhere deep inside him. For San it had simply been drilled into his head at a young age. Their experiences were completely different. 

“Okay, well keep me updated,” San says as he finally forces himself to leave the bathroom. He spots the key to his apartment sitting on the table where he left it, a reminder to himself of the last thing he needed to do. “I gotta go for now, though. I think I found a lead on Yunho.” 

“Did you?” Seonghwa asks. 

“Yeah.” San pauses, thinking about it before he ultimately decides to go for it. “I think I found where he works now. A small city down south. I’m going to look into it.” It’s a lie, but he decides to drop the false lead on Seonghwa nevertheless. He doesn’t know what will happen after he leaves, but he figures it’s the least he can do for his ex. It’ll keep the hunter off his trail for now at least. Yunho said he was a survivor, so the human bitterly thinks he’ll leave the rest up to the werewolf. 

“Okay. Let me know if you find anything.” 

“I will.” 

  
  
  
  


San stares at the front entrance of the clinic, body trembling ever so slightly though the blond chalks it up to the cool weather and definitely not because Yunho might still very well be in that building. San doesn’t actually know if he still works here or not, but it’s the only place he knows where to start looking. Taking a deep breath, San steels himself and marches up to the front door, pulling it open with a sense of confidence he doesn’t necessarily possess. 

At the front desk is a young lady who San assumes is the receptionist, and a man who’s standing behind her as he speaks, holding a tan folder in his hand. They both look up when San enters, and the hunter is momentarily relieved that at least it’s not Yunho. He scans the front lobby nervously, but his ex is nowhere to be seen. 

“Can I help you?” the woman asks when San reaches her desk. 

“Um, yeah.” San slides his fingers into his front pocket, curling around the set of keys in his pocket. “Is Yunho working today?” he asks after clearing his throat. 

“Yeah,” the young man answers this time. San looks up at him before his eyes trail down to the name tag pinned to his scrubs. He narrows his eyes at the name to get a good look at the name neatly printed on it.  _Jongho_. Jongho motions to the back. “Should I get him for you?” 

“No,” San answers quickly with a shake of his head. So he hadn’t actually quit. At least not yet. San isn’t exactly surprised, it would be hard to just find a new job out of nowhere like that. “No, I don’t want to bother him. I was just wondering if you could give him something for me.” 

Jongho blinks at the request but nods his head. “Yeah, sure. What is it?” 

Fingers wrapping around the key in his pocket, San slowly pulls it out. A little stuffed golden retriever dangles from the key ring—a gift Yunho had given him when they first moved in together. Sucking his bottom lip into his mouth to bite down on, he tentatively places the key down on the counter of the receptionist’s desk. “Could you give this to him?” he requests. His hand hovers over the key for a moment before he finally pulls away completely, hands falling to his side. 

Jongho tilts his head at the request, but reaches out to grab the keys. “Sure thing. Did he lose them?” 

San smiles thinly. “Yeah, something like that. Thank you.” 

Jongho nods his head. “Of course. Should I tell them it’s from…?” he trails off, looking at San with wide eyes. 

The hunter shakes his head though. “Don’t worry. He’ll know.” He gives the vet tech a little wave in gratitude before turning around to head out, practically scurrying out. 

“Have you finished everything you need then?” 

San looks to the side, startling when he sees Yeosang approach him. He hasn’t seen the warlock since that night at Vapor, but Yeosang had said to give him a week, and it had been exactly one week ago that he said that. The warlock looks much like he had back at Vapor save for the distinct lack of his antlers. However, if San squints and focuses hard enough he can see the faint shimmer of a glamour. 

“Yeah,” he answers, giving the warlock a once over. “Does this mean that you’re ready to uphold your end of the bargain now?”

Yeosang tilts his head forward in answer. “Thanks to your information, I now know which of my identities and favorite spots are compromised. I’ve made some arrangements for you as promised,” he confirms, eyeing the hunter. “Assuming that you still want to go through with this, that is.” He glances over San’s shoulders to the sign above the veterinary clinic.

“I’m ready,” San says, “and I’m not backing out of this.” He’d done as Yeosang instructed him to do, keeping a low profile at work. No one suspected a thing. This had just been one last loose end San hoped to tie up. He just wanted Yunho to know that he understood what Yunho wanted from him. He figured it was also his own way to say goodbye to his ex. At least on his own terms this time. 

“Very good.” Yeosang holds his hand out in a silent request. “Then first things first. Give me your phone.” 

San’s hands immediately drop down to his back pocket where his phone is. “My phone?” he squeaks out. “What for?”

“To throw out, of course,” Yeosang answers, wiggling his fingers impatiently. “The first thing you should do if you’re going into hiding is to toss out your old phone and replace it with a new one. You need to cut ties with everyone you know. Especially for you lot. You humans are so dependent on your phones.” With his other hand he holds up a new phone. 

San stares at the device in the warlock’s hand. “Okay.” He swallows thickly. “There’s just one more thing I need to send.” 

Yeosang sighs although he ultimately relents. “Very well. I can wait.” Yeosang folds his hands together over the phone, holding it against his stomach. 

“What,  _now_?” San stutters. 

“Yes, now. We need to get moving. The longer it takes us, the more opportunities and clues we’ll leave behind for your family to find.”

“But then, what about my stuff?” San asks. “It’ll take awhile to move everything—”

“I will take care of it,” Yeosang asserts, his magic crackling from his fingertips. 

Nodding his head mechanically, San brings his phone out of his back pocket and holds it up to his face. He brings up Seonghwa’s contact, typing out one last message—one last plead more like.

_ What’s about to happen is no one’s fault but my own. I apologize in advance if my father takes his anger out on you, but I really didn’t think I could do this anymore. I know you don’t owe me anything, but please, don’t tell my dad about Yunho. He’s not a danger to you. He just wants to be left alone.  _

_ I love you, Seonghwa. Thank you for everything. I’m sorry you ended up with such an ungrateful partner. _

When he’s finished, San looks up at Yeosang who lifts his hand up, palm out in a silent request. San lifts his phone up, placing it screen down in the warlock’s hand. With a gleeful little smile on his face Yeosang curls his fingers over the phone, easily crushing it with his magic. Then he tosses the new phone in San’s general direction, the blond flailing as he tries to catch it before it hits the ground. 

“Brand new, even better than your last phone if I do say myself. It does after all have only one contact.” The warlock splays fingers over his chest. “Yours truly.” A little laugh escapes San at Yeosang’s dramatics, and the warlock smiles, pleased with himself. “Now, shall we head to your new place?” He holds both hands out this time. 

San stares down at the warlock’s hands suspiciously. “Why do we have to hold hands?” 

“Because we’re going to apparate,” Yeosang answers like it’s obvious. “Have you never done it before?” San shakes his head, still hesitant to place his hands in Yeosang’s. “Good. Everyone should experience at least one new thing a day. Now let’s go.” He grabs the blond’s hand before he can protest, throwing his head back in a laugh as he pulls the hunter into an apparition spell. 

  
  
  
  


Yunho taps his hand against the space bar of his keyboard, trying to focus on entering the data of his latest patient into the computer, but his mind keeps wandering. His eyes stray away from his computer screen, landing on the little stuffed golden retriever on his desk. Jongho had come in the morning and placed it on his desk. He explained that someone had come by to drop off the apartment key he must have lost. When Yunho asked who it was, though, Jongho had shrugged and said. “He didn’t leave his name. I don’t know, skinny dude with an angular face, black hair. You know him?” 

His description sounded an awful lot like San, and the key certainly belonged to the hunter, but Jongho described the guy as having black hair. Had San dyed his hair recently? And why was this the one detail Yunho kept tripping up on?

More than that, Yunho can’t help but wonder why San had suddenly dropped by to return his key. Is it a message? Is it a trap? Yunho doesn’t know. It had been over a month since he last saw the hunter, and he hadn’t seen either of them since that full moon night. Yunho hadn’t grown comfortable by any means, but he had become cautiously optimistic that he might be in the clear from the hunters. Until this, that is. 

Yunho doesn’t know what to make of it. Is it a perfectly innocent gesture, or is this all part of some elaborate plot to catch Yunho? Jongho said the guy hadn’t left any sort of message to pass along to the werewolf, so Yunho is left to play the guessing game. 

Grunting, Yunho grabs the golden retriever, squeezing the charm in his hands as he pulls the key from his desk. He opens his backpack, intending to throw the offending item in, but he pauses, staring down at the little charm in his hand. San still had the stupid thing. Maybe it wasn’t even all that old. Yunho doesn’t know, but he hadn’t expected the hunter to keep it. 

He strokes his thumb along the fur of the toy, still trying to decipher whatever message San was trying to give him. He throws the keychain into his backpack, snarling at himself for that small window of weakness. No, he wouldn’t play this game. Yunho isn’t going to go back to their apartment. It could be a trap, and Yunho is too smart to fall for that. 

  
  
  
  


San breathes in a deep sigh, pleased with himself that he had forced the warlock into a contract after all. Yeosang had more than kept up with his end of the bargain, and, for the first time in a long while, San feels uplifted. Within this tiny apartment, cramped as it may be, the hunter might finally be able to breathe. 

“I warded practically every inch of the apartment for you,” Yeosang tells him, clapping his hands in front of San’s face when he begins to daydream again. “The least you could do is at least pretend to pay attention to me!” He’d been going through each individual ward he had so kindly placed in the ex-hunter’s apartment, but San had started blanking out on the third, too busy eagerly taking in the sight of his safe haven—all the items from his old apartment strewn about everywhere but at least they were  _here_. “You’ve got to be the most guarded human in this entire city, and he can’t even show me his gratitude,” Yeosang huffs, clapping his hands in front of San’s face a few more times until the hunter finally snaps out of his daydream. 

“Sorry, what were you saying?” San asks. 

Yeosang points to the ceiling over the front door. “A sunburst rune. If a vampire somehow still has the desire to come hunt you down in your apartment after feeling the sheer amount of wards all over the place, this should stop them long enough for you to…” he makes a stabbing motion with his hand and looks to San for his approval. “Anyways,” Yeosang throws his hands up and continues with San doesn’t respond. “I was saying the wards will have to be renewed semi-annually so you’ll be seeing me for those appointments.” 

San eyes the apartment walls curiously. “If they’re so good, how come you’re able to stand in here?” he asks. 

Yeosang doesn’t even hesitate to reach out, smacking the ex-hunter on the back of his head. San hisses at the action, reaching up to cup his head as he glares at the warlock. “Don’t ask me stupid questions,” Yeosang scolds him. “Do you know how long I worked to do all this?” San suspects it probably didn’t take him all that long with his magic, but he wisely keeps his mouth shut. “I got you an apartment and a new phone. I even did one more favor for you.” 

San perks up at the last statement. “What else did you do?” he asks. 

Grinning, Yeosang reaches out to grab San by the hands, tugging him towards the door. “Come with me,” he demands. “I have something to show you.” 

The thing Yeosang is so eager to show him turns out to be a bar. A bar that San doesn’t know if he can take seriously or not because the sign above the door to the bar reads  _ The Rowdy Mermaid _all underlined with a colorful mermaid tail. Did they come to get drinks? 

Yeosang pulls him inside, and San immediately tenses up. There aren’t a lot of patrons around at this time of day, but San  _ felt _ the glamour they had walked through at the front door. Totally not suspicious at all. 

The warlock leads him by his wrist to the back of the establishment where the bar is. There’s a lone figure behind the bar, cutting up lime wedges. His hair is the lightest shade of lavender, and San knows that he’s not human. His gut instincts tell him as such, but the human can’t pinpoint what he is between the glamour draped over the bar and whatever this creature is hiding under. San notes that the man doesn’t seem to be wearing a glamour himself. 

Yeosang lifts a hand up to wave at the man, calling out, “Hey, Wooyoung.” 

Wooyoung pauses in his lime cutting to look up, smiling when he sees the warlock approaching. “There you are. I was wondering when you’d show up.” His gaze slides over to San, and the smile on his face fades. San bows his head in greeting, feeling awkward under the bar man’s gaze. “This is him, I assume,” Wooyoung questions, eyeing San up and down. 

“Yes.” Yeosang shoves San forward, the human stumbling into the bar. He straightens up, shoulders tense, as Wooyoung leans forward into his personal space. “San, this is Wooyoung, a mermaid and an old friend of mine. He owns this place,” he introduces the human to his friend. “Wooyoung, this is San. The hunter I told you about.” 

San makes a distressed noise in the back of his throat, whipping his head around to glare at Yeosang who smiles at him. “I didn’t breach our contract,” the warlock assures him. “Besides, I asked Wooyoung if he could give you a job out of nowhere. I couldn’t withhold such important information to your future employer, could I?” 

“I’m not a hunter anymore,” San says, turning to look at the mermaid. 

Wooyoung narrows his eyes at his declaration but makes no comment himself. Instead he pulls away from the human, motioning for him to come around behind the bar. “Can you bartend?” he asks.

“I…” San looks over the various bottles of alcohol on display behind the bar, stumbling over his feet. “Yeah,” he finally answers. 

“Good. Make me something,” Wooyoung demands. 

San jumps at the demand, looking around the bar for what’s available to him. “What? Just anything?” he asks for clarification. Wooyoung nods his head. Pressing his lips together in a thin line, San studies the mermaid for a moment before he finally starts exploring the bar, thinking of something to make for Wooyoung. Is this some kind of audition of some sort? 

It takes San quite a bit of time to locate everything he wants to use, sometimes grabbing something before putting it back when he realizes he doesn’t actually want to use it. All in all, it takes an inordinate amount of time to actually make a cocktail for the mermaid, but when he’s done, Wooyoung seems pleased with the drink the human sets down in front of him. 

Lifting the drink up, Wooyoung eyes the presentation first, admiring the pretty purple color. Then he finally takes a sip. Smacking his lips together a few times, he hums before setting the drink down on the counter to pass to the warlock. Yeosang takes a sip as well, coughing at the taste and quickly shoving it back into Wooyoung’s hands. “Tastes like flowers,” the warlock comments. 

“It’s lavender,” Wooyoung says. “I like it.” He takes another, longer sip before setting it down. The mermaid’s eyes move up to meet the hunter’s, and San quickly turns his head away. “Alright, you’re hired. You can start tomorrow night.” 

San startles at the mermaid's words, gaze snapping back to him. “What, tomorrow night?” he asks. 

“You need a job or not?” Wooyoung snaps back impatiently. 

San flinches at his tone, lifting his hand up to rub the back of his neck. “No, I just—do you have a day position instead?” 

“It’s a bar,” Wooyoung deadpans. “Besides, I already have someone working the evening shift, and I can’t have her working the late shift. She’s a newly turned werewolf, way too sensitive to the moon. Oh it drives me nuts. She starts howling at it every time. What, you’re not much of a night owl?” 

“No, it’s not that,” San denies. “It’s just...I’m human. I don’t really want to be walking to and from work in the dead of night.” 

Wooyoung waves him off. “You’re a hunter. What are you afraid of?” San opens his mouth to protest. He’s not a hunter anymore. Wooyoung doesn’t give him the opportunity to speak. “Anyways, the supernatural population is much smaller in this city. I’m pretty sure I serve every single creature here. Plus, we have a pretty mixed patronage. Plenty of humans come in too. I could use a human employee.” San swallows thickly, fingers digging into his shirt. “So do you want the job or not?” 

San turns his head to look at Yeosang, but the warlock only cocks an eyebrow unhelpfully. Sighing, the human agrees. “Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow night.” 

Wooyoung finally smiles at him. “Fantastic. We don’t have a dress code or anything, just don’t come looking like a slob.” He eyes the hunter from head to toe, staring at his sweatpants in particular. “And don’t come to work with a weapon. Don’t need you to scare off anyone.” 

“Okay, I got it,” San says, growing impatient with the mermaid. “Tomorrow, right? I’ll be here.” 

“Good.” Wooyoung holds his hand out for them to shake on it. “I look forward to working with a hunter.” 

San shakes his hand, gripping on tightening his hold on the mermaid. “I’m not a hunter anymore,” he grits out. Wooyoung just smiles thinly at him in response. 

  
  
  
  


Seonghwa massages his temples with his fingers, trying to make himself comfortable in the leather chair he’s sitting in, but he can’t. The door of the office opens a few minutes later, and the hunter lifts his head up, turning to watch as the head of the family and San’s sister walk through the door. He bites into his bottom lip, following the two with his eyes as they walk towards the desk Seonghwa is sitting in front of. San’s father seems to be doing his best to mask whatever he’s feeling, but Seonghwa can see his anger held in his tense shoulders and clenched fists. 

He takes a seat on the leather office chair on the other side of the desk, releasing a sigh he must have been holding for a while. San’s sister comes to a stop next to Seonghwa, and the hunter immediately scrambles up from his seat, offering it to her. She tries to decline it, but Seonghwa insists. Running her hands down the back of her black dress, she eventually takes the seat, crossing one leg over the other. 

San’s father links his fingers together in front of his face, resting his elbows on top of his desk. He looks up to Seonghwa who lowers his head in deference. “Did you know?” he asks, the first words he’s spoken since he came into the room. 

Seonghwa keeps his eyes fixed on the floor as he carefully thinks over his words. Before he can say anything though, Haneul comes to his defense. “Of course he didn’t, Father. You can’t blame San’s partner for his own actions.” She glances up to Seonghwa, offering a smile that he doesn’t return. He thinks of the message he suddenly received from San. It had come from out of nowhere, but Seonghwa isn’t sure he wants to bring it up.

“I didn’t explicitly know anything,” Seonghwa clarifies. “But I should have known he was planning something.” San had seemed off since they’d found out about Yunho. Seonghwa hadn’t thought much of it at the time though, figuring the younger hunter was just going through a slump after realizing he’d let a werewolf slip through his defenses. 

The head of the house sighs, eyes slipping shut in thought. He doesn’t say anything for a moment, and from the corner of his eye Seonghwa can see how antsy it makes his daughter. “I want to keep this matter quiet,” the man finally says, opening his eyes to look up at Seonghwa. “I want you to find him and bring him back here. I’ll deal with him myself.” 

Seonghwa nods his head in agreement at the same time that Haneul jumps out of her seat. “Father,” she cries out in protest. “Let me do it. He’s my brother after all.” 

“No,” he declines, waving a hand to dismiss her. “I only asked you here so you understand the gravity of the situation and to keep your mouth shut.” She presses her lips into a thin line, eyes falling to the floor. “Your brother is missing, and chasing him unprepared and untrained as you are would only put you in danger. You’re dismissed.” 

Seonghwa watches the way her jaw tightens before she nods her head curtly, turning on her heels to storm out of the room. After the door shuts behind her, the head of the house leans back in his chair, releasing a long, exasperated breath. “That brat,” he mutters under his breath. Seonghwa crosses his arms over his chest, unsure if the man is referring to his son or his daughter. “After everything I’ve done for him. Why would he do this?” He narrows his eyes at the ceiling. “Something must have happened,” he says, turning his attention to Seonghwa who shifts his weight from foot to foot under his stare. “Do you know something, Seonghwa? You were his partner.” 

Looking over to the bookcases lining the wall of the office, Seonghwa cups his chin with his hand, pretending to think about the question. He should say something about Yunho. If they get a hold of the werewolf, they might be able to find a lead on San, but when Seonghwa opens his mouth to say something he hesitates. His phone feels suddenly heavy in his pocket. 

“I’m not sure,” he finally answers, clearing his throat as he pushes thoughts of the werewolf to the back of his mind. He can deal with the werewolf on his own. More than that, he tells himself that he doesn’t want to embarrass himself in front of the man any further. “He seemed off since that vampire’s execution though.” 

San’s father scoffs at the notion. “He’s too soft. He’s always been too soft. He got it from his mother.” 

Seonghwa remains silent, unable to add anything to the conversation anyways. He had never known his partner’s mother having decided at a much later age to become a hunter. San had been born into though. “There’s a possibility that something might have happened to him,” he says. He doesn’t want to bring up Yunho, but that doesn’t mean his own suspicions are assuaged. Perhaps Yunho or that fae, Hongjoong, are holding him somewhere. Maybe they’ve done something to him. San’s message certainly seems straightforward enough, but at this point, Seonghwa honestly isn’t sure what to think or who to believe. 

“Nonsense. I raised him. I  _ trained _ him to be a hunter.” He rubs his hands together. “He’s always been too hesitant when it came to killing. If he’s missing it’s because he ran away like a coward.” He looks up to Seonghwa. “You’ll do this for me, won’t you?” the man asks. “If the others find out about this, I’ll lose face.” 

Seonghwa nods his head. “Yes, I can do it.” 

“Great. I’ll leave you to it then.” 

Nodding again, Seonghwa slowly heads for the exit, squeezing his eyes shut as he pulls the door open. Where will he even begin to look for San? Why did he have to do this? He shuts the door quietly behind him, only to startle when Haneul grabs him by the wrist and drags him away. Seonghwa stumbles after her as she drags him into an empty room, slamming the door behind them. 

“Let me help you,” she demands, tugging on Seonghwa’s wrist. 

The hunter gently pries her hand off of his wrist and takes a step back. “No,” he declines. “Your father said no for a reason, Haneul.” 

“Oh, come on! I’m good at gathering information. I can do it.” 

Frowning, Seonghwa places his hands on his hips and studies the girl in front of him. “Can you?” he questions. “Can you hunt your own brother? That’s what he’s asking, you know.” 

She hesitates at that, confident smile dropping for a second. “Yes,” she answers despite her hesitation. “I can do it. I have to do it to  _ prove _ to Father that I’m a competent hunter.” 

Seonghwa licks his lips, uncomfortable now that he’s seemingly been plopped in the middle of a sibling rivalry. He doesn’t exactly know what’s going on between the two of them. Neither of them seemed to like each other, but San also talked about her with some degree of fondness when Seonghwa had asked before. Either way, Seonghwa doesn’t want to mediate their argument. “You can do that,” he encourages her, “but you can do it without hunting down your brother. It won’t make you feel better. I promise you.” 

He makes to leave, but she seizes him by the arm, holding him back from leaving. Clamping down on his annoyance, Seonghwa turns to face her again. She studies his face for a moment and, apparently deciding that Seonghwa won’t give in so easily, sighs. “Fine, but will you please keep me updated on anything you find? I need to know what San is up to.” 

“Very well.” Seonghwa nods his head in agreement. Finally, she releases her hold on his arm. Seonghwa leaves the room, picking up his pace as he scurries out of the mansion. He bites into his lips as his thoughts stray to his partner. Is this why he had disappeared out of nowhere? 

  
  
  
  


Despite Wooyoung’s demands, San shows up to his first shift with a small knife shoved into his pocket for his own safety. He has to walk to and from work by the light of the moon. San isn’t about to risk his own safety just to appease his mermaid boss. Of course, his boss immediately knew what he’d been hiding and had pulled San into the back to scold him. 

“You can’t just bring a weapon into this establishment!” Wooyoung shrieks into his ear as he pats the hunter down. He finds the knife in the human’s back pocket, releasing a triumphant cry as he pulls it out of the hunter’s possession. Then he waves the sheathed weapon in front of San’s face causing the human to flinch away from it. “See! You see that? This is why you can’t just bring a weapon in here! You’ll scare off all my patrons, you moron.” 

“Well, how am I supposed to get home safely?” San snaps back, trying to snatch the knife from Wooyoung’s hands. The mermaid turns around, jutting his hip out to keep the human back. 

“I already told you that this area is fairly safe,” Wooyoung argues. 

“You’re a mermaid. I’m not!” He reaches around the mermaid to try and grab his knife again, the two struggling with each other in their fight to control a knife. “Look, I’m not going to fucking stab one of the customers with it. I just need it for when I walk home. It makes me feel safe.” 

“Fine!” Wooyoung shoves the human away. “You can carry it on your way here and on your way back, but while you’re here, you keep it in my office.” He twirls the knife around with his fingers, raising an eyebrow at San who sighs but agrees. It’s not like he has much of a choice anyways. 

In spite of their rocky start with each other, Wooyoung seems quick to warm up to San. The mermaid hadn’t anticipated growing too fond of the human, only really offering him a job because Yeosang had asked, and he already owes the warlock way too much. He never suspected an ex-hunter might turn out to be one of his favorite people. 

The human is good at his job too, able to slip a smile on his face at a moment's notice, and he’s professional, either unable to or not caring about whatever type of patron stumbles up to the bar. The only slip up he’d had so far was when a vampire had asked him for a Bloody Mary but suggested he add in his own blood rather than the tomato juice. San had knocked over a bottle of vodka at her words, eyes wide as he stared at her. The vampire had only laughed, claiming it was just a joke, although she’d smiled at him, flashing her teeth, and offered to drink from him sometime if he would like. 

“Have you ever been bitten before?” she asked. San shook his head, staring down at the mess of vodka he spilled over the counter and quickly trying to wipe it up. “It’s so pleasant. Humans get so pliant and pretty underneath me when I bite them, and I’ve been told it’s similar to an aphrodisiac. What do you say? I won’t kill you. We could just have some fun.” She leaned over the bar looking for all the world like she would gladly eat San up while the human had stood frozen, staring at her in disbelief. 

Wooyoung had watched him from a distance at the time, half expecting the hunter to pull out one of the small paring knives they kept behind the bar and attack her. He’d been watching, waiting to intervene if necessary, but the human finally smiled at the vampire, turning his gaze away to focus on preparing her Bloody Mary.

“Sorry, but I like dick,” was his only response. 

Wooyoung choked on his water while the vampire tossed her head back, laughter spilling from her lips. “What a delight, you are,” she said, tossing back her long hair over one shoulder. 

San placed a Bloody Mary down in front of her and asked for her name. 

“Why do you ask?” she questioned after giving her name. 

San smiled again, the expression fleeting. Wooyoung cocked his head to the side, watching the human carefully, but he doesn’t reveal anything. “I’ll remember it,” he promises her. Grinning, she laughs at him again, leaning forward on the counter to continue their conversation. The mermaid watched her slip the human a crisp hundred dollar bill when she was done after only a few drinks, telling him to keep the change for himself. Wooyoung had been undoubtedly impressed, watching as San stared down at the bill in his hands in confusion. 

They have their arrangement figured out by now. San comes in to start his shift around 8PM and works until the early hours of the morning. He keeps his knife in Wooyoung’s office during work hours and comes to pick it up before he leaves to go home. 

“Why don’t you let me walk you home?” Wooyoung asks one night when they’ve finished closing up, and San comes to collect his knife. 

San had just slipped the knife back into his pocket, although he pauses at Wooyoung’s suggestions, slowly lifting his head up to stare at the mermaid. Wooyoung smiles at him and waits for his answer. “No,” San declines with a shake of his head. He turns to scurry out of the bar. Wooyoung follows behind him, hot on the human’s heels. 

“Hey, wait up,” the mermaid calls, reaching out to grab San by the elbow, holding him back from leaving the bar. “Let me walk you home. Isn’t that why you always bring a knife to work? Because you’re worried about walking around at night?” He holds San’s arm to his chest, pulling him in close. “So let me walk you home, huh? I’ll keep you safe.” 

Releasing a breath, San slowly turns around to face the mermaid. “No,” he repeats, reaching up to pry Wooyoung’s hand from his arm. Before he can even try to leave, Wooyoung reaches out to stop him again. Sucking in a sharp breath, San narrows his eyes at the mermaid, looking him over critically. Wooyoung doesn’t look particularly weak by any means, but he also doesn’t look like he’d be all that useful to bring to a fight. “So say that we do run into a vampire or some other creature out to hunt a human, what exactly would you do?” 

He doesn’t know much about mermaids personally. The city he’d previously lived in had been too inland for mermaids to be much cause for concern, but this city is practically on the ocean. San knows the basics, of course. His father drilled them into his head even for creatures San would be unlikely to ever meet. Water reveals their true form. Aim for the throat always—if not with a knife than with your hands. You must always cut off their vocal chords. In terms of combat abilities, San had no idea what a mermaid is capable of, however. Vampires had their fangs, fae their poison, and werewolves their claws. Mermaids however…

“Oh, I can scream,” Wooyoung assures him. San blanches at the boast. Is the mermaid trying to say he’s just loud? “I’ve been told that it’s quite painful and horrible to listen to. My werewolf friends have especially complained about it. Also, it definitely draws attention.” So the mermaid is just claiming that he’s loud. “Would you like a demonstration?” Wooyoung parts his lips and takes in a deep breath, but before he can give San a proper taste of his voice, the human covers his mouth with a hand, smothering him. 

“Thanks, but I think I’ll pass.” He offers Wooyoung a tight smile before he turns and heads out of the door. 

Wooyoung quickly follows after him. “Hey, wait for me!” 

“Don’t,” San tells him, jogging down the street as Wooyoung struggles to find the right keys to lock up the bar. “Don’t worry about walking me home. I’ll be fine on my own!” 

By the time Wooyoung finishes locking up and turns to follow San, the human is already gone. 

San doesn’t let Wooyoung walk him home no matter how many times the mermaid insists. He can’t figure the human out. He carries a knife with him in case of an attack, and yet he refuses Wooyoung every time he offers to walk the human home. It’s really quite annoying, but Wooyoung doesn’t really know what to make of this human he agreed to help. Yeosang hadn’t divulged much beyond the fact that he’s an ex-hunter which was to remain a secret among the three of them. What he’s doing here and why he chose to quit is beyond him. The human is a mystery to him. 

Although he finally gets a potential hint a few nights later. 

It’s not any different from any other night, at least to begin with, because at some point an all too familiar face walks into the bar, calling out Wooyoung’s name at the top of his lungs. The mermaid turns around in the bar stool he posted himself up in, expression brightening when he spots the new customer. 

“Mingi!” Wooyoung cries out, opening his arms up for his friend. 

San places a couple cocktails on the counter, calling out the orders, before he turns to look at the mermaid. He watches as Wooyoung embraces a tall stranger, looking away when he turns the both of them towards the bar. 

“Come here,” Wooyoung says, guiding Mingi into a seat. “San!” he calls for the human, grinning when San walks up to them, his customer service smile in place. “Get him a coke. No ice.” San nods his head, glancing briefly over to Wooyoung’s friend. He grabs a coke from the fridge and a glass, setting both down in front of Wooyoung’s friend. The mermaid reaches out to wrap an arm around his shoulders and introduces him to San, “This is a good friend of mine, Mingi.” 

San offers a smile to Mingi who leans forward against the bar counter to look at San. “A human?” he asks, turning to look at Wooyoung curiously. 

“Right?” the mermaid asks excitedly. “I really needed one.” He looks back to San and nods his head towards his friend. “Mingi here is a werewolf. He used to come by all the time, but he hasn’t come for a long time.” He smacks the wolf on the arm. 

“Sorry,” Mingi apologizes, flinching away from the mermaid as he pours his coke out into his glass. “My pack recently relocated, so it’s a little harder to come down, but we’re in town for supplies! So I thought I would stop by to see how you’re doing.” 

Wooyoung is so absorbed in conversation with his friend that the way San freezes nearly escapes his notice. He doesn’t think anything much of it at first, not until he briefly leaves to retrieve something in the back for his friend. When he comes back, he sees San leaning against the bar counter, engaged with Mingi in a conversation which he catches a snippet of as he approaches. 

“A packless wolf?” Mingi asks, tilting his head to the side. “Do you know one?” 

“No, no,” San denies, leaning back to pick up a rag. “I was just curious, um, if you’d ever heard of one.” 

“Not one from my pack personally,” Mingi says, glancing over to Wooyoung when the mermaid returns. 

“Okay, that’s fine then,” San tells him, clearly trying to end the conversation now that Wooyoung is back, but Mingi—talkative, reliable, dense Mingi—keeps the conversation going. 

“That’s terrible. Forcing a wolf out of their pack is the worst punishment we can give out. The whole purpose is to basically kill them without actually doing it yourself.” 

“Ah.” San nods his head, pretending to understand, and purposefully avoids Wooyoung’s inquisitive gaze. The mermaid files away that conversation in the back of his mind until Mingi finally leaves. 

As they’re cleaning up, Wooyoung figures now is the perfect opportunity to bring up the topic. “So, you know a packless wolf?” he asks casually as he mops the floor. 

San grits his teeth as he puts away the clean cups back. “No,” he answers. 

“So you do.” Wooyoung nods to himself. Good to know. 

“I don’t!” 

“Then why were you asking Mingi about packless wolves?” Wooyoung asks. “That’s an oddly specific thing to ask about.” 

“I just heard it sometimes happened. I was curious about it. I haven’t met a lot of werewolves.” That at least was true. 

“Met?” Wooyoung asks skeptically. 

San clears his throat awkwardly, slamming the next few glasses down more aggressively than is strictly necessary. “Hunted,” he corrects himself. An awkward silence passes between them after that, San trying to finish up as quickly as possible so he can just go home. Of course, Wooyoung doesn’t let him off the hook that easily. 

“How many have you killed?” he asks. Grunting, San looks up to look at the mermaid, and Wooyoung meets his gaze, expression unreadable. The human turns away first, going back to his closing duties without answering the question. “I have a soft spot for them, you know,” Wooyoung continues when San doesn’t answer. “Werewolves. They’re rather gentle for the most part.” 

San grits his teeth, shaking his head when a pair of hazel eyes come to mind. “I’ve hunted three,” he finally says. “Killed two. I mostly hunted vampires.” 

Wooyoung nods, looking down at the wet trail he leaves as he drags the mop along the floor. Two. It’s not as bad as he would have thought, but the mermaid can’t help the fact that it certainly shines a new light on San. “Do you feel bad?” he asks. “Do you ever feel bad?” 

“I quit,” San bites out harshly, pushing the dish rack underneath the counter. “Of course I felt bad.” Hyunjin’s face suddenly comes to mind, and he fights to push the memory to the back of his head. 

“Everytime?” 

The human pauses, looking up the glare at Wooyoung from the bar. It’s an uncomfortable conversation, and Wooyoung understands that he doesn’t want to have this conversation, but he’s finally gotten a little bit of insight into the hunter. 

“No,” San finally answers, gathering up his rags and tossing them into the bucket to take to the back. “One of those werewolves had taken a child…” he trails off, and Wooyoung winces. He doesn’t have to finish his sentence. The mermaid can imagine how the werewolf had treated a child like a chew toy. “The other...I don’t know. I feel bad about that one.” He hadn’t known the werewolf’s name, but he hadn’t been doing anything. He’d just been running, the same way Yunho had been that night. 

“And the third?” Wooyoung asks. 

San licks his lips as hazel eyes come to mind again. “He got away.” 

Wooyoung plants his mop on the floor, leaning against the stick. “I don’t get it. Did you quit because you didn’t like it?” 

“There’s a lot of problems with hunters,” San says cryptically. “More that I disagreed with than I agreed with, and it wasn’t as if I would make any difference as an individual hunter. Leaving was the best option.” 

“How did you become one in the first place then?” Wooyoung asks. 

San glances up at him. “I was born into it,” he answers. “Looking back on it now, though, I don’t think I ever would have ended up there on my own. I never quite fit in.” His father’s perpetual disappointment in him was testament to that notion. 

“Do you think you would be somewhere else then? If you had been born into a different family?” 

“Who’s to say?” San sighs. “I think I would be somewhere better than here though.” 

“You mean an ex-hunter forced into hiding?” 

San holds the bucket to his chest as he heads to the back room. “No, I mean a bartender,” he deadpans before shouldering open the door to the back. Wooyoung sputters at his answer, dropping the mop to the ground in favor of chasing San into the back. 

“Hey, you take that back!” 

  
  
  
  


“Good job today!” Yunho smiles at Jongho when the young human calls out to him in farewell. He’s holding the door open for the werewolf who quickly ducks out of it, lifting a hand up to wave with a smile on his face. Jongho returns the wave before allowing the door to swing shut behind him, and they go their separate ways. Yunho only manages to take a couple steps away when he suddenly stops, muscles tensed up as his nose twitches. The scent of silver tickling his senses. 

He whips his head to the side, his fear spiking when he sees a figure emerge from behind the wall of the veterinary clinic. The figure slides his hands into the pocket of his leather jacket, tilting his head as if to motion Yunho over. The werewolf recognizes him, of course. Seonghwa. 

Turning away quickly, Yunho pretends not to have seen him, trying to scurry away from the hunter. However, he doesn’t get very far; Seonghwa quickly catches up to block his path. “Don’t be like that,” the human says, rolling his shoulders a couple of times as he eyes the werewolf up and down. “We were friends once.” 

“Friends,” Yunho scoffs at the notion, taking a step back from the hunter. “We were acquaintances at best.” 

“Same thing,” Seonghwa sniffs dismissively. 

Licking his lips, Yunho’s eyes fall to the hands in Seonghwa’s pockets. He can smell silver in them, setting his nerves ablaze as his fear heightens. “Do you usually come armed to kill your friends?” he asks. He scans their surroundings a bit frantically. Here and now wouldn’t exactly be the most opportune time for either of them to try and kill the other, but Yunho has never been one to underestimate his enemies. For all he knows, Seonghwa might have no qualms about killing him in front of his own workplace. 

“No, but I do make it a habit to make sure I’m well defended if I need to be,” Seonghwa answers. His posture is relaxed for the most part, but Yunho can tell that he’s tense in the tightness of his jawline. “I’m not here to kill you. The weapons are just a precaution.” 

“A precaution for what?” Yunho asks. “Does it look like I’ve been trying to hurt you?” 

Seonghwa narrows his eyes at him. “I’d be inclined to say no, but I’m afraid given the current circumstances that I can’t.” 

“Hunters,” Yunho grumbles under his breath as he glances around their surroundings. Even in his human form, he’s sure he could outrun the hunter, but Seonghwa might have brought back up in which case Yunho will have to be careful. It had been months since he’d last seen or heard from a hunter. He figured that meant he was in the clear, but perhaps he had been too optimistic. What kind of hunter just gives up after their prey escapes them? None of them. Yunho should know the answer to that.

“Try to keep calm,” Seonghwa tells him, slipping his hands out of his pocket to fold them over his chest. “I’m not here to kill you. Like I said, I’m solely armed for my own protection. I have another job that takes precedent over you.” 

“Then what do you want?” Yunho snaps impatiently. 

Seonghwa’s jaw tightens, fingers digging into the sleeves of his jacket. “San’s gone missing,” he finally says, carefully gauging the werewolf’s reaction. “Am I supposed to believe you had nothing to do with that?” 

Yunho’s lips part in shock, struggling to form words at the sudden revelation the hunter just dropped on him. Of all the things he expected Seonghwa to say to him, telling him that San had gone missing had been dead last on his list. “What?” he finally manages to choke out. “What do you mean he’s gone missing?” 

The hunter huffs impatiently like he doesn’t have time for this. “I mean exactly what I said. He’s missing. We don’t know where he is.” He narrows his eyes at Yunho. “Do you have anything to do with it?” 

“No,” Yunho denies quickly, with a shake of his head. “I didn’t do anything to him. Why would I?” Yunho sputters. 

“Why wouldn’t you?” Seonghwa challenges, taking a step towards the werewolf who stumbles back a few steps out of fear. “You have the motivation and the means to kill him if you wanted to. You knew where he lived and where he worked. I’d hate to think my partner would be so ill trained as to get killed by you, but given your previous relationship, and the fact that he lied for you.”

“I haven’t done anything to him,” Yunho barks back at him. “Why would I—” he cuts himself off, scoffing in disbelief. He has no reason. San betrayed him, and he cut the hunter off in response. He didn’t need to do anything more. “I haven’t talked to him in months. I don’t know where he is.” He crosses his arms over his chest and glares at the hunter. 

Seonghwa is quiet for a moment, just studying the werewolf. Eventually he allows his arms to drop back to his side. “Alright,” he says. So that last message San had sent had been genuine. Seonghwa hadn’t been too sure when he couldn’t get into contact with his partner again. He still had his suspicions about Yunho even if he thought they were unlikely. Now he knows. “I didn’t really think you did anything. I just figured I would make sure.” He eyes the werewolf up and down though. “Do you really not know where he’s gone, though? I figured if he ran off he probably did it with you.” 

“This is the first I’ve heard that he disappeared,” Yunho insists, licking his lips nervously. “What did you mean though? About him lying for me.” 

Seonghwa sighs at the question, tilting his head back towards the sky. “Why do you think?” he shoots back. “I’d have found you much sooner except my dumbass partner told me that you had moved jobs, and he couldn’t find you. I spent weeks tracking false leads when you were stupidly easy to find.” Yunho’s mouth goes dry at that statement. Why would San say something like that to Seonghwa? Had he...covered for Yunho? “You’re not my number one priority right now, so I’ll leave it here—you don’t know where San is—but don’t think that just because he gave up hunting you means that I will.” He nods his head curtly. “Excuse me.” 

“Wait,” Yunho calls for him, reaching out to stop the hunter before he can leave. He thinks twice when Seonghwa whirls around to face him. The werewolf quickly distances himself from the hunter. “Why?” he asks after a moment’s hesitation. “Why did he leave? And why are hunters trying to track him down?” 

“I’m not at liberty to say,” Seonghwa answers. “Just understand that people don’t just leave our organization. Retirement is a very formal process.” He pauses, brushing his hair away from his face. “You should also know that I’m not the only person who’s looking for him, but understand that I might very well be the only one who doesn’t mean him any harm. If you know anything, I suggest you tell me right now.” 

Yunho shakes his head, shying away from the hunter when he catches the scent of silver again. “I don’t know anything.” 

Breathing in deep, Seonghwa nods his head although his disappointment is evident. “Thanks then.” He turns to leave, and this time Yunho lets him go without a fuss. His own mind is filled with doubts and worries. San is missing. Where? Why? He sucks in a sharp breath when he remembers the extra key Jongho had given to him almost a month ago now. He knew San must have dropped the keys off, but he couldn’t fathom why at the time. Too scared to actually go back, Yunho had been basically crashing with Hongjoong at his own place until he could cut the lease and move somewhere else. 

Now though, Yunho thinks about the key again. Could San have dropped it off because he intended to disappear, and this was his way to let Yunho know he could go back? Well, the werewolf figures there’s only one way to find out. 

  
  
  
  


Yunho stares at the door to his apartment, the sight both utterly familiar and foreign at the same time. He thumbs over the head of the stuffed golden retriever that San had used as a keyring for the longest time. The thing is worn and a little dirty by now, but still recognizable. The blond had taken good care of it. Breathing in deeply, Yunho tilts his head towards the door, listening intently for any signs of life on the other side. However, all he can hear is silence. 

Cautiously, he brings the key up to the lock, sliding it inside the keyhole and turning. The lock audibly clicks, and Yunho shoulders the door open. The apartment is dark inside, and Yunho feels along the walls with practiced ease for the light switch, flicking them on in the front room. 

It’s like Yunho remembers, the furniture still in place where the two of them had first set it up. However, in spite of the familiarity, Yunho can tell that it’s different now. The apartment is emptier and less lived in. It feels sterile. Even smells a little sterile. Yunho can’t smell the human anywhere in the apartment. Had it really been that long since San had been there? More importantly the human’s scent seems to have dissipated with the lack of any of his belongings. 

Yunho opens the closet right next to the door. It’s shockingly sparse. Yunho can pick out a couple of his coats, but the mess it used to be is cleared out for the most part. All of San’s coats are gone. It used to be so difficult to find a hanger for their coats. Now the werewolf seems to have the pick of the litter. He shuts the door, quickly slipping out of his shoes as he explores the rest of the apartment. Most of the essentials remain in place—the couch, the kitchen table, their appliances—but almost all the personal touches San had made are gone. The little plants San had tried in vain to grow are missing from the living room. The pictures he had put up are gone as well. Yunho isn’t sure if it’s because San had territorially claimed them as his own or if it’s just his attempt to erase himself from the apartment. Yunho can’t even find the throw blanket San used to curl himself up into on late nights anywhere in the living room. The items on which his scent clung most tightly to are missing.

Yunho’s heart drops into his stomach for reasons he can’t explain and doesn’t want to think about. He moves further into the apartment, but everywhere he goes the pattern remains the same. Everything about San, everything that was his, seems to have been removed. It’s like any reminder that another person had even lived there have been wiped clean.

His hands shake when he opens the door to their bedroom—the place that should smell the most like the human; the place that always smelled the most like San. The bed is well made, sheets cleaned and replaced like a hotel room. Yunho can’t catch a trace of San’s scent in the room, not even on the blankets. The blankets San curled up underneath so many times. Had he washed them just to remove his own scent? Or had it really been so long since he disappeared that it just faded? Investigating the closet, Yunho finds that San’s clothes are missing as well, and he can’t fathom how he can even be surprised by that. 

San really up and disappeared then. Yunho bites down on his thumb, a million and one thoughts racing through his mind at the moment. Why did he run? How did he disappear without a trace? When did he leave? Where did he go? Why didn’t he tell Yunho? 

The werewolf shakes off the last thought, smacking himself on the cheeks a couple of times as if punishing himself for entertaining such a silly thought. Why would San have told him anything? Why would he feel the need to tell his ex after Yunho had explicitly told him that he never wanted to see the human again? Well because he came all the way to Yunho’s work just to drop off his keys, the werewolf reasons with himself. San could have said something at that moment. Jongho had told him he was there, but San didn’t want to talk to him. He just ran off without a word. Shouldn’t Yunho at least know where he was going and what the hell he was planning on doing? 

No, Yunho scolds himself. It was better this way. He’s a werewolf, and San is a hunter—was a hunter. He shouldn’t get involved. If anything, San leaving was a  _ good _thing. It left him and Hongjoong one less hunter to worry about. Of course, Seonghwa could still pose a threat, but the hunter seemed less interested in him in comparison to tracking down San. Still, Yunho does his best to consider the positives in this scenario. Technically, he wins if San is gone. 

His nose twitches when he picks up on a faint scent, eyebrows furrowing curiously as he takes another sniff of the air. It’s familiar, but it takes Yunho an embarrassingly long time to realize that it smells like San—perhaps because it had been months since he last smelled the human. For a second, he tenses up, eyes darting around the room as he listens intently for any noise. He thinks, briefly, that perhaps this had been some elaborate trap. Seonghwa came all the way out to frighten Yunho with a tale about how San is missing while the blond lied in wait inside the apartment. It would be the perfect opportunity to strike, no? But the apartment is still quiet, San’s scent getting no stronger. 

Following his nose, Yunho shuffles over to the bed where he can smell the scent emanating from, but the sheets don’t smell like San. Neither do the pillows. It takes some time and some detective work before Yunho finds the cause underneath the bed. Dragging out the item from beneath the bed, Yunho freezes when he stares at the toy dog. It’s an old, worn thing Yunho had gotten the human when they first started dating. San spotted it in the window of a store when they were just out on a date. Yunho bought it for him just to see a smile brighten up San’s face. He used to sleep with it a lot at first, but at some point the doll had gone missing. Apparently they never thought to look under the bed. 

Sighing, Yunho places the doll on the bed, patting it on the head as if it were a real dog. The apartment is empty, and San had taken all his belongings except for the one item he missed. Yunho paces around the bedroom, fingers pressed to his lips. Did this mean San had run away from being a hunter? Why? Yunho worries his bottom lip with his teeth as a sense of dread washes over him. San ran and, for whatever reason, finding him apparently took precedent over dealing with Yunho and Hongjoong. The werewolf couldn’t help but worry for the human. Hunters have never been particularly nice to those they’ve hunted, although he can’t say for sure if the same thing applies to other hunters. He’s never heard of a hunter chasing down one of their own. 

He shakes off the thought as quickly as it comes. Rather than worry about San, Yunho should consider his own position. His own very good position. Seonghwa threatened that he still has unfinished business with the werewolf and Hongjoong, but San seems to have at least bought them some time for now. He should meet with his friend, so they can plan out their next steps. Their identities were compromised now, and they needed to make sure they were safe first. 

Staring at the doll sitting on the bed, it’s bead eyes seeming to bore into Yunho, the werewolf snatches it up after he decides he needs to toss the thing. He needs to worry about himself first. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I found an apartment!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> San is attacked, Wooyoung grows attached, Seonghwa looks to the past, and Yunho begins to question his decisions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wtf is a chapter summary? i suck at summaries obviously

Working the nightshift at Wooyoung’s bar isn’t nearly as annoying as San initially thought, even if the mermaid is suffocatingly overbearing. For instance, San still finds himself racing to leave the bar before Wooyoung can finish locking up so the mermaid can’t follow him home. The last thing he really wants is for anyone to know where he’s staying. The wards give him a sense of security, sure, but San will take every precaution he can. Wooyoung has, at least, convinced the human to allow him to accompany him to the end of the block, but San still declines his help most nights. The customers, for the most part, aren’t so bad either, even the supernatural creatures who tend to leave San alone despite the fact that they can clearly tell he’s human. Honestly the humans seem to be the worst most nights, often becoming loud and aggressive when drunk although that only happens every once in a while. Usually they just like to fight with San over their bill. 

And Wooyoung hadn’t been lying when he said the streets were safe at night. San hasn’t had any incidents since he moved, but it doesn’t stop him from carrying around his knife just in case. The biggest bright spot is probably Mingi who San has only met a grand total of three times, but the human is fond of the werewolf. He convinces himself it’s because Mingi is so friendly and talkative, and he always has fun stories to tell whenever he does stop by Wooyoung’s bar. (The mermaid insists that half of whatever Mingi says is likely a lie, but San still finds it enjoyable either way). He definitely does not like Mingi because he’s the only werewolf San has ever really gotten to know, and he’s admittedly a little curious about them. Definitely not because of that. 

Wooyoung watches him with narrowed eyes full of suspicion when San leans against the counter, listening intently as Mingi regales him with a tale about how he outsmarted a hunter. It’s a lie, and the mermaid knows it because Mingi’s pack has never encountered a hunter as far as he knows, but, more importantly, Mingi outsmarting someone else is literally impossible. Wooyoung is sure of that. 

The mermaid has to clear his throat and flick San on the forehead, nodding his head towards other customers just to get the human to actually focus. He doesn’t know what San’s deal is with Mingi, but he’s definitely going to get to the bottom of it. 

“So, do you just have a huge ass crush on Mingi, or are you curious about what it’s like to take wolf cock?” Wooyoung asks when San brings his register into the back to count it for the night. “Because I’ll tell you this now, as a human, your fragile little body wouldn’t be able to handle wolf cock. I suggest you take a rain check on that idea.” 

The human startles at the question, blinking wide eyes at the mermaid who has his hands planted on his hips. “What?” he stutters when Wooyoung’s words finally catch up to him. “Ew, gross. Neither of those.” A very vivid picture of Yunho's wolf form assaults his mind, and San fights the urge to chuck his money drawer at the wall. 

“Really?” Wooyoung asks, following the human when San edges around him. “Listen, I get that flirting with customers and being all nice scores you tips and everything, but it doesn’t work against Mingi. I give him everything for free.” 

“I’m well aware,” San says dryly as he sets his drawer down on the counter and begins to count the money. 

“So then what is it?” Wooyoung presses, hovering over San’s shoulder while the human tries to count his drawer for the night. San ignores him, diligently counting the money in his drawer. “Do you like him? Do you want me to help you guys hook up?” 

San clutches his hair with his hands, turning around to face his boss. “No!” he says, waving the small stack of twenties in his hand at Wooyoung. “I don’t like him, okay? Can you please leave me alone so I can count money in peace?” 

For a brief, blissful moment of silence Wooyoung just stares at him, head tilted to the side as if in thought. Then he says, “I mean, werewolf packs can be kind of strict about outsiders, though. It’s not super common for a werewolf to settle with any other creature. Hell, it’s very rare that they settle outside of their own packs. They’re very exclusive, although it’s not like it’s unheard of for them to take in an outsider if one of their own wants to mate. He doesn’t know you were a hunter once, right? His pack would definitely turn you down in that case.” 

“Oh, my—I don’t want to date him. Or be a part of his pack!” San stares at the handful of bills in his hands. He has no idea how much it is anymore, having lost track from Wooyoung’s ramblings. If anything talking to Mingi has turned San forever off the idea of encountering a werewolf pack. They seem bureaucratic to the point that it makes the ex-hunter shiver at the mere thought. 

The mermaid looks doubtful though, snatching the money from San’s hand when the human tries to start his count over again. “You’re on the exact cent,” he assures the human before quickly diverting him back to the important matter at hand. “And if that’s the case why are you always hanging off of him whenever he comes?” 

“I’m not,” San insists, taking the money back from Wooyoung. He counts out the profits, handing it to Wooyoung to put away. “I’m just—” he presses his lips together, worried that he might say too much. 

“You’re just what?” Wooyoung asks. 

“Nothing,” San squeaks out, grabbing the drawer to take it back out to the bar. Wooyoung follows him, still unwilling to let go of the issue. “I’m going home,” the human announces after he puts his drawer back, pushing it closed with his hip. 

“What? You haven’t finished cleaning yet.” 

“It’s mostly clean,” San insists. “Just finish the rest in the morning. I don’t feel good, so I’m going home.” 

Wooyoung looks around his bar, and for the most part it is clean. There are just a few dishes in the back that they should really finish washing and putting away, and San is usually quite responsible about his closing duties. “Ah, wait,” the mermaid calls out when he sees the human scurrying for the exit. He grabs his keys and jacket from the table nearest to the exit and rushes out after his employee. “Wait, San, let me walk you home!” the mermaid calls out, fumbling to lock the door. 

“I’m fine,” the human assures him. 

Wooyoung manages to run up to him, wrapping his arms around the human’s shoulder as he tries to escape. “I insist,” he says. The thing is San still refuses to let Wooyoung walk him home. The mermaid can’t really fathom why. He thinks that they’re pretty good friends, for the most part. Sometimes, though, San allows his boss to walk him to the end of the block before they part ways. It’s the most Wooyoung’s managed to get out of him. 

“Fine, but just to the end of the block,” San warns him, pointing to the streetlight they typically part at. 

Wooyoung tugs on San’s arm. “Aw, come on. We’re friends, aren’t we? Let me make sure you get home safe.” 

San bites on his lip, but he doesn’t pull away from the mermaid when he tugs on his arm. “What do you mean? I always get home safe.” 

“I know. I just…” Wooyoung pauses as he tries to carefully word his concerns. “I just have a particularly bad feeling tonight.” 

Confused, the human looks over to him. They’re approaching the stoplight now, but Wooyoung mentally asserts that he won’t let San walk home alone tonight. He can’t quite put his finger on what the issue is; he’s just certain that he shouldn’t let San walk alone. “What do you mean ‘particularly?’” San asks. “Do you usually have a bad feeling about something?” 

“Haven’t you ever heard about a mermaid’s intuition?” Wooyoung pouts. 

The human tilts his head back, thinking about it seriously for a moment. He tries to recall everything he’d ever learned and been tested on about mermaids, but he can’t recall ever hearing about their intuition. “No,” he finally answers, looking back to Wooyoung who appears affronted by his response. “Is it good or something?” 

“Is it good?” Wooyoung sputters. “You should  _ always _ trust a mermaid’s intuition. Or at least mine at any rate. And right now, my intuition is saying that you should  _ definitely _ not walk alone tonight.” 

San side eyes the mermaid, finally shaking off Wooyoung’s arm when they reach the intersection. “Thanks,” he says, “but I think I’ll be okay.” He can feel his sheathed knife weighing in one of his coat pockets like a comforting presence. 

Wooyoung cries out in alarm when San pulls away from him, reaching out to grab the human by the elbow. “Wait. It would just really make me feel better if you let me walk you home,” he insists, fingers tightening around San’s hands to try and convey his anxiety. San either ignores it or is oblivious to it, pulling away from Wooyoung’s grip again. 

“I’ll be fine,” San tells him again, shaking his head when Wooyoung tries to protest. 

“But—” Wooyoung’s shoulders drop when San takes a step away from him, holding a hand out to signal the mermaid to stop when he tries to follow. He can’t explain his nervousness. He just really, really doesn’t want San to walk home alone, and he doesn’t understand why the human so adamantly opposes the notion. 

“I don’t live too far from here,” San assures him. “It’s just a couple blocks away. I’ll be fine. What’s going to happen to me in two blocks?” He laughs like it’s a joke even though they both know that a lot can happen in that time. Neither of them are naive enough to think that just because it’s a short distance doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t present an opportunity for someone on a hunt. 

Wooyoung places his hands on his hips, jutting them out to one side as he presses his lips together in a tight line. “What do you have against me walking you home?” he asks. San is nice. He’s oddly likable for an ex-hunter. Wooyoung truly dotes on him, but the human is almost infuriatingly secretive about some things—his obsession with werewolves being one, and his stubborn refusal to allow anyone to know where he lives is the other. 

“Nothing. I just…” the human trails over, combing his fingers through his dark hair. 

“You don’t want me to know where you live?” Wooyoung finishes for him. 

“Look,” San sighs, “I’m in hiding for a reason. It’s already bad enough that Yeosang knows where I live if you ask me.” 

“But I’m your boss,” Wooyoung argues. “No, I’m your  _friend_. I’m not out to harm you, and, if anything, someone else should know where you live. I mean, if something were to happen how would I know where to find you? What if you, like, drink fae poison or become bewitched by some mermaid harlot?” San snorts to hide his laughter at Wooyoung’s concern. “What if you _ do  _ take a werewolf dick behind my back and then you need help because I told you not to do it?” He gasps when an offensive thought suddenly crosses his mind. “You’d let  _ Mingi _ know where you live before  _ me?_” 

“No!” San quickly denies, waving his hands in front of his face. “Nobody knows, okay? And I’m not planning on taking any werewolf dick in the near future. Oh, my God. And even if I did it wouldn’t be Mingi!” 

Wooyoung narrows his eyes and takes a step into San’s personal space. “So there is a werewolf dick that you want,” he observes, watching the way the human’s expression falls. 

“No,” he says immediately. They both know it’s a lie, but Wooyoung hasn’t managed to wiggle the story out of San yet. He will one day though. “Anyways, just stop worrying about it. I’ll be fine.” San shoves Wooyoung away when the mermaid moves to follow him, motioning for him to stay here. 

“Fine, but I’m keeping my eye on you from here!” Wooyoung calls out as San begins to walk away. A feeling of unease still bubbles in his stomach, but San insists. So Wooyoung crosses his arms over his chest and stubbornly stares at the human’s back as he leaves. The further San walks away from him, the more the mermaid wonders if maybe he’s just overreacting. He told the human this city is safe for the most part, and it is, but that doesn’t mean attacks aren’t a possibility. 

San glances over his shoulder to see if Wooyoung is following him as he walks down the street towards his apartment, satisfied when he spots the mermaid watching him from the intersection they were at. He lifts his hand up to wave at the mermaid, and his boss imitates the motion. Then San turns around, passing by a closed boutique when everything abruptly goes to shit. 

As a hunter, San should know better than most how quickly the tables can turn in a fight whether in his favor or not. The truth, however, is that he’s not really used to being hunted. He’s usually the hunter. It’s part of the reason why they work in pairs and why his father had assigned Seonghwa as his partner. All the man ever wanted his son to learn was how to be a good hunter, so San admits that he’s maybe more than a little unprepared to be prey. 

All this to say that almost the second San turns away from Wooyoung he’s hit. Hard. It feels like a car just barreled him over, and San might have honestly thought that was the case if not for the obvious lack of a running engine. The body that slams into him is as cold and hard as a pile of bricks, and the human can’t even manage a scream before his body hits the ground. The air is knocked from his lungs, and a flare of pain spikes through his chest, but San can’t focus on that because his head cracks against the pavement, causing his vision to blur and spot. 

He wheezes, struggling to catch his breath as his fingers immediately scramble for the knife in his pocket. Distantly, he can hear someone screaming, the sound of footsteps pounding against the pavement. San is almost convinced it comes from himself, but he can barely manage to breathe let alone scream. 

The person—the thing—that runs him over reaches out to haul him up by the collar of his shirt. San’s head throbs, and there’s still a piercing pain in his chest, but he can’t even manage to whimper in pain because he’s too focused on trying to  _ breath_. His limp body is shoved up against the wall of the boutique, and San can finally tell that his attacker is a vampire when he’s able to make out red eyes through his blurry vision. He almost wants to laugh. Wouldn’t it just be ironic if he died by a vampire. 

If. 

Only the reality is that death by vampire might be a real possibility right now. The vampire lunges forward, sinking his fangs into the juncture of San’s neck and shoulder. San grimaces, still unable to make much of a noise, but he does manage to pull out his knife. He yanks it from the sheath before he lifts it up and starts stabbing the vampire in the back. There is no method of calculation to it. San is running purely on adrenaline and the instinct to survive. 

The vampire snarls in response, pulling away from San and violently ripping his fangs from the human’s soft flesh in the process, so he can crouch down into a defensive position. San hisses when a flash of pain flares from his neck, and he stumbles back a few steps. The human doesn’t know how he even manages to stay upright at that point. All the pain that he knows he should be in feels like only a dull throb. There’s blood trickling down his shoulder and chest, soaking into his shirt, and he has a hard time gripping his knife that’s now slippery from the vampire’s blood.

Breathing is still difficult, but San doesn’t allow himself to rest, his own training finally kicking in. He’s too injured right now. The vampire caught him off guard and had already inflicted too much damage on the human. If San allows them to reset now he won’t win the fight. 

So he lunges forward with his knife up. In his head he reminds himself to aim for the heart. Stake a vampire through the heart and it was a guaranteed kill. Despite his own coaching, though, the reality is a lot messier than San is typically used to, nor is it anything like the quick kill he intended. He’s hunted plenty of vampires, and it’s always been a clean kill for him—once through the heart. That’s all he needs to do. And yet, the human finds himself throwing his body at the vampire, plunging his knife wherever he can. It’s not really sadism so much as it is utter fear that makes it difficult for him to land an easy, killing blow. It doesn’t help that his vision keeps blacking out occasionally, and he basically scrambles to find aim with his free hand before driving his knife down again. 

The vampire screeches at San’s messy and brutal style, reaching out with both hands to wrap around the human’s neck. He squeezes hard, causing San to choke. The vampire could probably snap his neck, but he seems to be losing his strength, only able to strangle the human. San reaches up to grab one of the vampire’s wrist with his free hand, futilely trying to tug it away while he continues to wield his knife like a mad man. He can’t afford to just stop, not in a situation like this. This is a fight to the death, and the loser will be whoever gives up first. 

“San!” He hears Wooyoung call out for him although the mermaid’s voice sounds strangely distant. They were only about a half a block away from each other. Why does Wooyoung sound like he’s so far away? 

The vampire shoves him back, staggering away from the human. San hits the wall again, a cry finally escaping his lips. His knife slips from his bloody hand, and his knees give out a second after, hitting the ground with an audible crack before San crumples onto his side. The mermaid is on him an instant, hand pressing against the vampire’s bite wound as he tries to stem the bleeding. 

“San,” Wooyoung calls for him. He gently rolls the human onto his back so he can peer into his face. San is alarmingly pale, face covered in a sheen of sweat, and his eyelids droop from exhaustion. “Stay with me. Don’t fall asleep,” the mermaid pleads, patting the human on the cheek in gentle motions to keep San’s attention. Wooyoung whips his head around when the vampire makes a pained noise, body tense and ready to spring forward and strike, but the vampire slumps forward, going still against the pavement. Dead. 

The mermaid’s heart jumps into his throat at the sight, and he turns to face San again. “Hey,” he says, smacking the human with a little more force than before when he sees that San’s shut his eyes. “Stay with me. We’ll get you help.” 

“The vampire,” San says in between heavy breaths. 

“He’s dead,” Wooyoung assures him. “You killed him.” 

“No, not that.” San struggles to lift his hand up, laying it on top of Wooyoung’s like he’s trying to help the mermaid keep pressure on his wound. “I...I probably deserved this.” 

Wooyoung’s lips curl back over his teeth, and he resists the urge to smack the human. He would have if San weren’t in such terrible shape. If he didn’t look like he was on the verge of death as well. “Don’t say stupid things,” he scolds the human. “You’re a better hunter than any I’ve ever known. You left after all.” 

San doesn’t seem to have heard him though, eyes squinting up at the night sky as his breaths become progressively slower, more labored. Wooyoung needs to get him somewhere safe. Now. 

“San,” he calls for the human again. “San, I need to move you. It might hurt.” The human doesn’t seem to hear him at all, though, still staring at the sky with a confused expression. Carefully, Wooyoung fits his hands underneath San’s body, experimentally trying to lift him up. The human is alarmingly limp, almost like a dead weight, and the mermaid has to constantly reassure himself that San is, in fact, still alive. He can tell by the warmth in his body and the faint but still audible sounds of his breathing. He’s alive. He needs help, though, and right now Wooyoung is the only one who can help him. 

  
  
  
  


Wooyoung rushes the human back to his apartment since he has no clue where San lives. It’s further away than the mermaid is comfortable with, but San doesn’t even make a peep of protest when his boss carries his broken and battered body to his place. Wooyoung again fears the worst, but San is still conscious when they arrive, just very quiet, focused solely on sucking in small little breaths. 

“How are you feeling?” Wooyoung asks after he sets the human down on his spare bed. The sheets become an immediate mess, blood still dripping from the wound on his neck and staining the sheets. The vampire’s bloody on San’s hand has mostly dried, staining his skin an ugly reddish brown. 

“Everything hurts,” San manages to say. “It’s not as bad as I thought, though.” 

Wooyoung almost allows a hysterical laugh to escape his lips. Not as bad as he thought? Wooyoung is absolutely certain the human would not be saying such a thing if he could actually see the state he’s in. “It’s probably the adrenaline,” the mermaid says. “Wait right here. I need to find my first aid kit.” 

San stares at the ceiling, doing his best to remain perfectly still. “It’s not like I can move,” he jokes in a raspy voice. It’s obvious that talking is difficult for him right now. 

“ _Don’t_ ,” Wooyoung hisses at him before he rushes out of the room. He doesn’t have the capacity to handle this. He’s a bar owner for fuck’s sake, not a nurse. Still, he basically throws himself onto his knees in his bathroom, digging under the sink cabinet for his first aid kit. He knows he has one just in case, but he nearly tears the cabinet door straight off its hinges when he can’t find it right away. San is lying in his spare room, _dying_ , where is this fucking first aid kit? 

He finally spots the damn thing shoved way back into the corner of the cabinet. Grabbing it, he drags it out of its hiding space, knocking a whole bunch of random miscellaneous items onto the floor in the process, but he ignores it in favor of rushing back over to San. The human is still lying stiff on the bed, although he has his bloodied hand up to his neck, pressing against the wound there. 

Wooyoung rushes back over to him, placing the first aid kit down on the bed as he kneels down next to the human. He opens the box, rummaging through the items to find something for San. Ripping open a package of gauze, he pulls it out before reaching over to clean up San’s neck. However, he pauses when he finally catches the look on the human’s face. His eyes are wet with unshed tears, his lips trembling. The mermaid stares at him for a moment before he gently reaches out to move San’s hand out of the way, pressing the gauze against his neck, wiping away the blood as best he can. 

“Am I going to die?” San asks. 

“Of course not,” Wooyoung spits out as he tosses yet another dirty piece of gauze to the floor, joining the small pile he’s creating. The bleeding just won’t stop. He soaks the next gauze in some rubbing alcohol. At this point he doesn’t know what to do beyond just keeping the human from bleeding out, so he figures he’ll clean the wound and then wrap it up. “And if you even think about dying in  _ my  _ guest bedroom, I’ll…” he allows the threat to hang in the air, partly for the humor, but mostly because he doesn’t have any clue how to finish it anyways. He doesn’t want to think about San dying, not on his watch.

He presses the alcohol soaked pad against San’s neck, gently wiping at the bite wound there. The human grimaces at the sting on his neck, face screwing up in pain, but it’s the only indication he shows of his discomfort. “You’re going to be fine,” Wooyoung tells him as he cleans the wound as fast as he can. He doesn’t know if he’s really reassuring San or just himself. 

Yeosang. He should call Yeosang. The warlock will probably know what to do in this situation. 

It’s late though, and the warlock can be fickle with him. Even if it’s an emergency he’ll probably be unlikely to answer Wooyoung’s calls. The mermaid takes out a roll of gauze, carefully winding it around San’s neck. He tries to bind it tight enough to keep the pressure on the wound but still loose enough that the human can breathe easily. His shallow, hiccuping breaths are making the mermaid nervous. 

And, quite honestly, his neck is quite a sight to behold: bloodied and dark from a bruise. Wooyoung is genuinely shocked the vampire hadn’t snapped his neck. He figures the vampire must have tried only to find he lacked the strength to kill San that way. The mermaid had seen the state of the vampire. He’d seen what San had done to him, and a sick part of him is proud. He’s proud of the human for fighting him off. Wooyoung had been watching him. He’d been only half a block away! Convincing himself that everything was fine; he’d just been unnecessarily paranoid. When San had suddenly disappeared behind the building after the vampire jumped him, the mermaid had quickly leaped into action. 

The attack couldn’t have lasted more than a minute, and the vampire was dead while San—well—he’s alive. He survived, and Wooyung would be damned if he let the human succumb to his injuries at this point. Wooyoung swallows thickly as he finishes wrapping up San’s neck. The human reaches up to pull at the gauze, but Wooyoung knocks his hand away. “Don’t,” he says. “You’re still bleeding.” 

“I don’t like it,” San says, trying again to yank the gauze from his neck. “It feels like—it feels like I’m being choked.” 

“Breathe,” Wooyoung commands, holding San’s hands down to keep him from undoing the mermaid’s work. He internally grimaces when he realizes he’s holding on to the human’s bloody hand, but he ignores it. “You can breathe just fine. I promise.” 

San does as the mermaid says, but his eyebrows are knitted together, clearly still uncomfortable with his current predicament. The part of Wooyoung that’s proud of the human becomes quickly tainted with horror. San, born and raised as a hunter, had been utterly brutal in that attack. Sure, it may have been self defense, but it had been messy as evidenced by his blood covered hand. 

“I’m sorry.” 

Wooyoung snaps himself out of his thoughts at the words, releasing his grip on San’s hands when he feels how limp the human’s gone. 

“I should have listened to you.” 

“Neither of us could have known that would happen,” Wooyoung assures him, settling himself on the edge of the bed. “When I said I had a bad feeling I didn’t think a vampire would nearly kill you. Anyways, I’m not even sure if me being next to you would have even deterred him. I don’t know if he was newly turned or what, but that vampire had been absolutely feral.” 

San sucks in a shuddering breath, blinking back his tears. “Maybe he just hated hunters,” he suggests. 

Wooyoung perks at the idea, looking down at San. “How could he possibly know that you were a hunter? Nobody knows.” 

“You know,” San points out. “Yeosang knows.” 

“Neither one of us wants to hurt you though. You think I really went and told a vampire where to find a hunter if he wanted some revenge?” 

“No.” San grits his teeth together when the pain finally seems to catch up to him. His head is throbbing, his neck is sore and tender, something in his shoulder hurts like hell, and his lungs feel like they’re on fire. Even talking is so hard, but he can’t stop himself. It’s like interacting with Wooyoung is proof enough that he’s still alive. “There are two others that know about me, though.” 

The mermaid tenses up, fingers digging into his mattress. “Who?” he asks. 

“A fae,” San croaks out, flinching when his shoulder flares up in pain as he moves his hand. “And...a werewolf.” 

Wooyoung nearly bites down on his own tongue. A werewolf. So San did know one. He’s known, or at least confidently suspected as much, but it’s the first time San’s actually admitted it. He’s not sure about the werewolf. If San had been cornered by a pack, maybe, but werewolves enlisting the help of a vampire? Unlikely. A fae, however, would be unpredictable. Wooyoung could easily see a fae looping someone else into doing the dirty work for them on the off chance that they would fail. “And they have reason to try and kill you?” 

San smiles although it’s anything but happy. “I’m a hunter. Of course they have reason.” 

“No one knows you’re here,” Wooyoung finally says. “It’s probably unrelated. It looked like a starved vampire to me.” 

“Did he deserve it then?” San asks. “What I did to him?” 

Wooyoung stares at him, a pregnant silence hanging between them for a moment too long. “Are you kidding me?” Wooyoung finally asks with an explosion of energy. He jumps up from the bed, pointedly giving the human a once over. “If you could see the state you’re currently in...I don’t care if he hadn’t eaten for  _ weeks_, he was unnecessarily brutal! Vampires glamour their victims for a reason. Maybe it doesn’t excuse their actions, but at least it’s relatively painless. If you hadn’t killed him, he would have killed you. Painfully.” 

The tears San had been holding back this whole time finally fall, trailing from the corner of his eyes down his temples and to his hairline. Wooyoung stares at him in disbelief. Why? San opens his mouth to say something, maybe explain, but he doesn’t say anything, just breathes audibly in and out. 

“Get some rest,” Wooyoung tells him when it becomes obvious San isn’t going to say anything. He eyes San’s blood covered hand. He should help clean up the human a bit. For now the human is safe. Leaving the room again to grab a towel, Wooyoung figures they should see how he’s doing tomorrow before he figures out what their next move will be. Still, he makes a mental note to contact Yeosang. Wooyoung can only do so much himself, and he’s pretty sure San is not in a great state. 

He soaks the towel with warm water before wringing out the excess. Humans, he thinks to himself. They’re so fragile. 

  
  
  
  


A distinct feeling of dread settles into the pit of Yeosang’s stomach as he glances over to the fae next to him before his eyes settle upon the werewolf before him. Yunho had suddenly contacted the warlock out of the blue, requesting that they talk. It’s not often Yunho asks to meet with him. For one they’re not particularly close, really only friends through Hongjoong. Yunho also has quite an aversion to magic—a typical werewolf trait all things considered—so Yeosang is not usually at the top of the list of people Yunho wants to hang out with. He figures that Yunho probably needs a favor from him if he wants Yeosang present as well. That or he’s already figured out that something fishy is up with his little ex-hunter-boyfriend. 

The warlock reaches out for his iced coffee, swirling it around in his cup before he takes a sip of it through the straw as he braces himself for whatever it is the werewolf wants. 

Yunho looks to Hongjoong first and says to him, “Seonghwa came and found me at my work place.” 

The fae tilts his head. “Who?” 

“San’s hunting partner,” Yunho clarifies. “You met him that night.” 

Hongjoong’s eyes darken at the reminder, his grip tightening around his cup hard enough that the plastic crinkles and gives way. “Ah, yes. Him. What did he want? Did he hurt you?” The fae hadn’t mentioned the fact that he’d noticed the hunter keeping tabs on him, worried that he might scare Yunho when he was certain he had the issue under control for now. However, Hongjoong isn’t so sure he should keep quiet anymore. 

“No.” Yunho stares down at his coffee, fingers tucked under his legs. “He just wanted to ask me a few questions.” 

“About?” Hongjoong remains tense. He doesn’t like the idea that one of the hunters had approached Yunho so suddenly like this. 

Yunho licks his lips, refusing to meet the fae’s gaze. Yeosang watches the two of them curiously, wisely keeping his mouth shut. It’s not like he would have much to say about the matter anyways. “Apparently, San’s gone missing.” Hongjoong’s tense posture relaxes, giving way to confusion, while Yeosang keeps his expression carefully blank. The warlock takes another sip of his coffee. So, it was about the hunter after all. 

“Your boyfriend?” he asks even though he knows the answer to that. 

“Ex,” Hongjoong hisses in clarification before Yunho can speak. 

“Ah, right. You guys broke up recently.” 

“So, he’s missing?” Hongjoong repeats, looking back at Yunho who nods his head solemnly in response. 

“The hunters are trying to find him.” The fae scoffs like he finds the idea ridiculous. Yeosang stares down at his coffee pensively. He figured this would happen eventually, although he admits he’s rather surprised the hunters have taken this long to mobilize. Or perhaps they already had in secret. He takes another sip of his coffee, reassuring himself that San is well hidden. Hunters wouldn’t be able to find him so easily unless San did something stupid, but the last he checked the human was keeping a low profile. Plus, he doesn’t know what San had done, but he seems to have gotten on Wooyoung’s good side. Last he spoke to the mermaid, Wooyoung had absolutely gushed about him. Yeosang is sure that he’ll be well protected under the mermaid’s watch. 

Leaning forward, Yeosang places his coffee down on the table and clears his throat as he tries to slip into their conversation. “Sorry. I don’t mean to be rude, but why did you need me to be here?” he asks as he looks at Yunho. It’s pretty on brand for him because Yunho bites his lip like he knows Yeosang is less than pleased to be here. 

“I wanted your help to find him,” Yunho admits. 

Yeosang blinks at him while internally he’s screaming. He’d been concerned about this since San showed up in front of him and demanded a contract. Isn’t this just the greatest conflict of interest? Honestly, the only saving grace for him is that he physically can’t tell Yunho anything even if he wanted to because of the contract. At least it saves him the pain of having to pick a side. San had already forced his hand in that aspect.

Taking in a deep breath, Yeosang glances over to Hongjoong who looks back at him, the question obvious in his expression. The fae is obviously thinking back to that time in Vapor. He knew San had seen him back then, but when he pressed Yeosang about what the human wanted, Yeosang had lied saying the hunter wanted a favor in exchange for information, but that the warlock had declined. “Why would you want to waste your time looking for your ex?” he asks Yunho. 

“What do you mean ‘waste my time?’” Yunho asks, actually sounding offended. 

“You’re ex is a hunter,” Yeosang reminds him. “He almost killed you and Hongjoong. So what that he’s gone missing? Should you really be bothering yourself with his business?” 

Hongjoong nods his head and points to Yeosang to motion his agreement. “Exactly. You can’t afford to worry about him, Yunho. And anyways, you don’t have a relationship with him anymore, right?” He stares pointedly at the werewolf who looks away to avoid his gaze. “ _Right?_ ” the fae presses. 

“We don’t,” Yunho reassures his friend. He honestly hasn’t had any contact with San since the day they broke up, but that doesn’t mean he’s heartless. “That doesn’t mean I can’t be worried that he’s missing though.” 

“You can be worried,” Hongjoong tells him. “But you can be worried without looking for him.” 

Yunho looks at the fae with a pained expression, but Hongjoong isn’t having any of it. “No, I won’t do it,” he says stubbornly, looking away when Yunho widens his eyes and pulls his lips down in an exaggerated pout. “You’re not dating, Yunho. And he’s your enemy first!” 

“He let me go,” Yunho argues in a small voice. “He let you go too. He’s not a bad person.” 

“Then trust that he knows what he’s doing and how to take care of himself,” Hongjoong says, looking to Yeosang for support. The warlock nods his head in agreement. 

For a moment Yunho is quiet, contemplating Hongjoong’s words perhaps. Maybe it’s mean, but the fae has a point. Yunho can be worried without trying to dig his nose into San’s business. The human didn’t tell him after all. He clearly didn’t want Yunho to know. The key had been the only hint he provided. “I’m not going to not look for him,” he finally says. 

Hongjoong sighs, lips curling back over his teeth in a snarl, but Yeosang’s phone starts ringing before the fae can chew the werewolf out for his stupidity. They both look over to him when his phone goes off, and Yeosang smiles apologetically as he checks the caller ID. He internally grimaces when he sees Wooyoung’s name on his phone screen. 

“Sorry,” he says as he pushes his chair back to stand up. “I have to take this.” 

Hongjoong waves him off as Yeosang answers the phone, scurrying towards the back of the cafe. The fae turns his attention back to Yunho, already digging into the werewolf with a lecture no doubt. Yeosang would have loved to stay and laugh at them, but he’s suddenly worried. Wooyoung’s calling him now when Yunho is asking for help to find San? It’s probably just a coincidence. The mermaid still calls every once in a while to check in with Yeosang. It’s probably just that. 

“Hey,” he greets when he holds the phone up to his ear. “What’s up?” 

“Um, well,” Wooyoung sounds nervous, and Yeosang’s fears flare up again. “It’s about San. Something happened.” 

“What?” Yeosang asks. “Did he do something? Did something happen to him?” The warlock briefly wonders if the hunters already found him. There’s no way, is there? He’d left no trace for the hunters to follow. 

“He—last night—well,” Wooyoung flounders, trying to say anything coherent, and Yeosang struggles to conceal his frustrations. 

“Wooyoung,” he says, cutting the mermaid off. “I need you to take a deep breath and tell me what happened with San.” 

Wooyoung goes silent on the other end for a minute aside from the sounds of his breathing. “Right. Okay. I was walking San home last night and—and this feral vampire just attacked him out of nowhere.” 

“What?” Yeosang asks, maybe a little too loudly because a couple sitting at a table near him both turn to stare. The warlock immediately clamps his mouth shut, bowing his head down apologetically. He glances behind him to the table he left Hongjoong and Yunho out. Thankfully neither of them seemed to have heard his outburst, though, too absorbed in their own conversation with each other. 

“What do you mean he got attacked? When he was with you?” Yeosang asks in a much quieter voice this time. 

“I’m telling you this vampire was crazy. I think he would have just attacked the first human he saw.” 

“And San? Did he—” Yeosang forces himself to take a deep breath. 

“He survived,” Wooyoung answers quickly. “He...he fought the vampire off, but he’s really hurt right now. I put him in my guest room, and I cleaned up the bite wound and everything as best I could, and I thought maybe he was stable after that, but he looked really bad—he  _ looks _ really bad still—and he hasn’t woken up since then, and now he’s running a fever, and I don’t know how to take care of a human. I might—I might be panicking a little.” Wooyoung gets that all out in one breath, and it’s almost too difficult for Yeosang to comprehend. “Anyways, what I’m saying is that I don’t know what to do for him, and I think you should come take a look at him. Please.” 

“Okay. Okay, I’ll be right over there,” Yeosang assures him. “Just keep an eye on him for now. Call me if something happens.” 

“Okay. I’ll do that. Please hurry though. I don’t know what to do.” 

Yeosang hangs up the phone before turning around to head back to their table. Hongjoong is still lecturing Yunho about his concern for San, but Yeosang doesn’t pay them any attention as he grabs his coat from the back of the chair, swinging it around to fit his arms through the sleeves. 

“What?” Hongjoong asks, turning his attention to Yeosang. “Where are you going?” 

Yeosang shakes his head. “A client called me with a major problem. I have to go take care of it.” He motions for Hongjoong to sit down when the fae tries to stand up. 

Hongjoong makes a sympathetic noise. “Glamour fell apart?” he guesses. 

“Worst than that,” Yeosang says without elaborating. With his coat on, Yeosang’s gaze trails over to Yunho, and he presses his lips together in a thin line. “You, listen to Hongjoong, got it? He’s always had your back, and he’s the closest thing you’ve got to a pack leader. Don’t forget that,” he tells the werewolf who shrinks himself down in his seat. It would have been comical if not for the guilt festering in Yeosang’s stomach. The warlock hesitates as he looks between his two friends before he nods head once and heads out. 

  
  
  
  


Yeosang expected San to be injured. He hadn’t expected the human to be near catatonic. The warlock had expected this to be a rather standard visit. He figured Wooyoung was simply freaking out because he didn’t know what to do, and Yeosang didn’t blame him. The mermaid has never really been cut out for the whole taking care of others gig. He expected San to be weak from the blood loss, perhaps running a fever from a small infection. 

He hadn’t expected  _ this_. Whatever this is. 

“What the hell happened?” he asked, looking up at Wooyoung. 

The mermaid looks nervous as his fingers curl against the bedsheets. “I told you,” he answers. 

“You said a vampire attacked him,” Yeosang reminds him, looking back down at the human. “You didn’t say he fucking got ran over by a truck.” San is way more beat up for a simple vampire attack. “You said you were with him. Why is he so beaten?” 

“Well,” Wooyoung bites his lips as he stares down at the sheets. “I was more like half a block away,” he admits. “San doesn’t like the idea of me walking him home so I always would watch him from the end of the block. He was maybe a half a block away from me when the vampire pounced on him. I was right there. I saw everything, and I got to him as soon as I could.” 

The warlock rubs his hands together. “You were right there, so how long are we talking about? How long did the attack last?” 

Wooyoung picks at the bedsheets nervously and thinks about it. “Maybe a minute?” 

Yeosang gaze snaps back over to the mermaid. “A minute?” he gawks. “A vampire did this to him in a minute?” 

Ashamed, Wooyoung reluctantly nods his head. “It was really fast and really brutal. San did a number back on him.” His eyes briefly travel to the human lying prone on his bed before he quickly looks away, unable to bear the sight. “How bad is it?” 

Sighing, Yeosang looks down at San. His skin is pale, sweat beading along his forehead. He’s alive and stable for now, but even with his magic, the human won’t miraculously recover. Yeosang points to his head first, working his way down as he lists the injuries he can find. “Concussion, bruising from manual strangulation, bite marks caused excessive bleeding,” he takes a deep breath. He only expected those two injuries, but the list keeps going. “Broken collar bone, broken ribs,” he lifts up San’s shirt to reveal some severe discoloration along his abdomen, “excessive bruising. Honestly I’m shocked he’s got no internal bleeding.” 

“Fuck,” Wooyoung curses, running his hand through his hair. “I didn’t know it was that bad.” 

“But you’re saying he won?” Yeosang asks. 

Wooyoung shrugs his shoulders as he pushes himself away from the bed. He brings his hands to his mouth, biting down on his thumb. “He stabbed the shit out of the guy,” he mumbles in answer. 

“Was it targeted?” 

Wooyoung shakes his head. “I don’t think so. I’ve never seen that vampire, and I don’t think San knew him either.” 

Yeosang narrows his eyes at the mermaid, sensing that he has more to say. “There’s a but in there somewhere, isn’t there?” 

“He’s a hunter,” Wooyoung says in a small voice. “It could have been targeted, not necessarily because of him, but because he’s a hunter. Or was one. He seemed worried that it might have been.” The mermaid bites his lip as Yeosang releases a long sigh, staring at the small pile of bloody towels Wooyoung accumulated in the corner of the room. “He said there were two others who knew about him. A fae and a werewolf.” 

“They didn’t have anything to do with this,” Yeosang dismisses, waving off Wooyoung’s concern. “I know them. They didn’t even know he was technically gone up until recently.” He looks over San’s prone figure one more time and shakes his head, pinching the bridge of his nose to try and stave off a headache. “I’ve done what I can, and I can’t stay here any longer. Keep an eye on him. We’ll have to wait until the fever breaks.” 

“Is he gonna be okay?” Wooyoung asks when Yeosang withdraws from the human. 

“I can’t say yet,” Yeosang answers, brushing his hands down his shirt. “If the fever breaks, he’ll probably be fine with plenty of rest, but if not...I don’t know. I’ll come by more frequently for checkups, but I can’t stay here too long.” 

“Why not?” 

Yeosang glares at the mermaid, reaching out to pinch his cheeks and pulls on them. “People might get suspicious. I helped him into hiding. The last thing we need is for someone to  _ know _ that I did.” 

Wooyoung slaps his hand away from him, lips curling down into a frown. “You seem awfully invested in him,” he notes. 

“I could say the same about you,” Yeosang snorts. 

“He’s my employee. What am I going to do if he just dies?” Wooyoung sputters, crossing his arms over his chest as he feigns that this is solely about business. “How many humans are going to want to work a night shift in my bar? Especially when I tell them what happened to the last one? What’s your excuse?”

Yeosang frowns, shifting his weight to one leg and jutting his hip out. His eyes wander back over to San, and he crosses his arms over his chest. “I knew him once,” he admits without thinking, startling himself from his thoughts when Wooyoung gasps. 

“ _What?_ ” the mermaid asks, reaching out to grab Yeosang by the collar of his shirt. “You never mentioned that!” 

“You never asked,” Yeosang retorts as he pries the mermaid’s hands away from him. “And it wasn’t important. I didn’t think I needed to tell you.” 

Wooyoung points an accusing finger at the human. “ _ He  _ didn’t tell me either!” 

“He wouldn’t have,” Yeosang assures him. “I don’t think he remembers. I knew him when he was a small kid.” 

Wooyoung falls quiet at his words, reaching up to scratch his ear as he takes a moment to process Yeosang’s confession. “Wait, so you knew him when he was a kid? In a hunter family? You knew hunters?” His voice cracks at the last question. 

“I’ve worked for hunters before,” Yeosang sniffs. “For the right price. Anyways, yeah. He was just a small kid then, and I hadn’t seen him since until he showed up and demanded a contract from me. I was shocked.” 

“So what? You just took pity on him ‘cause you think he’s a cute kid?” Wooyoung asks, ignoring the fact that that was basically his entire thought process when it came to San. 

“No. He’s not a cute kid.” Yeosang juts his chin towards the human. “Look at him. What did you say he did to the vampire? Stab the shit out of him? You call that cute?” He sighs, looking away from San again. “Still, I guess I can’t say I dislike him either. I don’t know what to think about him.” He pulls his lips together in a thin smile and cocks his head to the side, wondering if maybe he’s being an idiot. Maybe he’s the one who needed to listen to Hongjoong. The fae would have bit his head off if he knew what Yeosang was up to all the way out here. Yeosang would probably rationalize that he didn’t have a choice. It was the contract binding him to San. Except nowhere in the contract had the hunter ever specified he needed the warlock to  _ babysit _ him. 

All things considered Yeosang had fulfilled his end of the contract. The only thing that should stay in effect is keeping San’s location hidden from anyone who asked. 

Perhaps it’s just the nature of being a warlock. Part demon, part human. Maybe he needs to embrace that demon side more. He doesn’t though. He can’t. Shoving his hands into his pocket, he smiles at Wooyoung who looks confused. “I promised someone a long time ago that I would look after him. And his sister. I did a shit job, though. Clearly. Maybe I’m just making up for that.” 

“You?” Wooyoung asks suspiciously, eyeing the warlock. Yeosang isn’t really evil in the mermaid’s opinion, but he’s definitely  _ mean_. He’s also an incredibly shrewd business man. Who in their right mind would ask a warlock like that to look after some kids? “Why?” 

“That’s a good question,” Yeosang admits. “I don’t know why. I didn’t even really try. I haven’t seen him since he was...I think almost six years old? Then he shows up one day out of the blue to ask me for help. I thought it was fate maybe, but it turns out it was just a coincidence. He came to me because it was convenient, that’s all.” 

“Stop,” Wooyoung commands him, expression unreadable. “You freak me out when you’re trying to be nice, so just stop. How much do you want? I can take it out of his paycheck.” 

Yeosang sputters at the accusation. “I’m not  _ trying _ to be nice. I am fucking nice.” 

“No you’re fucking not,” Wooyoung argues. “I love you. I can depend on you, but you’re not nice. You just admitted that you promised to keep an eye on him and then fucked off for the majority of his life.” 

Yeosang blinks at the mermaid. “Are you mad at me for this?” he asks. 

“Yes.” Wooyoung squares his shoulders, standing his ground against the warlock.

“Why?” 

“Because.” Wooyoung glances over to San. “He’s my human now. I’ve claimed him, so back off.” 

Yeosang barks out a laugh at Wooyoung’s petty declaration, shaking his head at his friend. Mermaids. So territorial. “You’re ridiculous,” he mutters, holding back another laugh when the mermaid puffs his chest out. “I thought you said he was just an employee.” 

“Well, he’s  _ my _ employee,” Wooyoung insists, never missing a beat. 

Sighing, Yeosang nods his head in agreement, unwilling to start an argument with Wooyoung over this. “Well, then keep an eye on him for now. Let me know if anything comes up in the meantime, but I’ll be back to check up on him soon.” Wooyoung nods his head dutifully, and Yeosang bites back a smile. Annoying as the mermaid can be sometimes, he can’t help but think he at least made one good decision when he approached Wooyoung for a favor. He pats the mermaid on the shoulder as he passes by, just a small gesture of his gratitude. 

  
  
  
  


With a sigh, Seonghwa links his hands together and tries not to release a scream of frustration. He just finished reporting his latest findings to the head of the clan. Dead ends, dead ends, nothing but dead ends. San’s father had been angry, worried that they would need to pull more people into the search. Seonghwa wondered why and if it was really worth the effort. San hadn’t taken anything important when he left, and nothing had happened since his departure. Seonghwa can’t understand his logic. He can’t even begin to comprehend what must have been going through his partner’s mind when he ran, but if he wanted out why not just let him be? 

“You look frustrated.” 

Seonghwa jumps at the voice, turning his head over his shoulder to see Haneul by the door of the library. She smiles at Seonghwa as she closes the door soundlessly. The hunter regards her warily. 

“Can’t find my brother?” she asks. 

Seonghwa turns his gaze away. He has nothing against her, but he’s not about to engage in whatever petty sibling rivalry the two have going on with each other. 

“Is he really that hard to find?” she asks as she approaches Seonghwa, walking around his chair to take the seat opposite of him. 

Too frustrated to keep himself level-headed, Seonghwa takes the bait. “Have you found him then?” She looks down at her lap, fingers running along the seam of her jeans. “I’ll take that as a no then.” 

“You know,” she says, leaning forward to rest her elbows against her legs, “if we just worked together it might be easier. Father is asking too much of you, and this is more of a family issue anyways. You shouldn’t need to be involved.” 

“San was my partner,” Seonghwa reminds her. “I have an obligation to make sure he’s safe.” 

“Safe,” Haneul snorts under her breath as she stares down at her knees. She’s quiet for a moment before lifting her gaze up to glare at him. “Is that what you think you’re going to be doing? Bringing him back to safety?” 

Seonghwa searches her expression, trying to gauge her mood and what she meant by that question. “He could get killed out there on his own,” he says, choosing his words carefully. There’s still Hongjoong and Yunho to worry about. Just leaving behind his job as a hunter didn’t mean the identity just left San. It would always hang over his shoulders, and there would always be someone who wanted to kill him for that. 

“Ha, I guess that’s right,” Haneul concedes. “I do suppose Father wouldn’t kill him. He’d do so much worse.” Seonghwa bites down on his tongue, refraining from commenting on her speculation. “So, what do you say? We could be temporary partners? I’m San’s sister after all. Wouldn’t it be kind of like working with him.” 

The hunter leans back in his seat, crossing his arms as he regards the woman in front of him coolly. “Unfortunately, I have no leads. I don’t suppose you’ve already found something?” 

She laughs at him, lips stretching out into a smile. “Is that just you trying to protect him? Listen, I know we don’t exactly have the most decent public image, my brother and I, but I don’t hate him. I wouldn’t want to see anything happen to him. If anything,  _ he’s _ the one who has an issue with me.” 

“Why the vested interest in catching him then? You know the consequences he’ll have to face. Do you delight in that?” 

“I don’t,” she denies immediately, voice hard. Seonghwa watches as her expression becomes closed off, but he doesn’t know if it’s because she’s angry about his accusation or just trying to hide her true intentions. “But you are right. He could get killed on his own. Even the consequences are better than that, no?” Seonghwa doesn’t answer, drops his gaze down to his own lap, so she continues. “I don’t hate my brother. Truly. But he’s my ticket out of this shit hole.” 

Seonghwa furrows his eyebrows together, finally looking back to her. “Your ticket out? Just leave if that’s what you want. Felix did it. Nobody cared.” 

She scoffs. “That’s exactly the problem. I’m not trying to leave the family. I’m trying to leave my post. I should be a hunter, not some trivial reconnaissance agent. If I don’t find him, Father will never view me as something more.” 

Seonghwa pushes himself up from his seat, staring down at her. He doesn’t know what he feels. Curiosity? Respect? Fear? He doesn’t understand what she wants, but he’s certain that whatever it is he doesn’t want to give up his partner for her to get it. “Then find him,” he challenges her. 

For a moment she stares up at him, her gaze defiant before she relaxes in her seat. “Fine,” she finally says. “He’s my brother. I know him better than anyone. I’ll find him first.” 

With a shake of his head, Seonghwa turns on his heels to head out of the library. He shouldn’t have even wasted his time here to begin with. He just needed space to think about his next move after his meeting. Still, Seonghwa can’t deny that Haneul plants an idea in his head with his words. She knew San the best? Seonghwa doesn’t know if she can even begin to compete. He knew his partner better than anyone, and still the blond had kept so much from him. 

Maybe that’s where he needs to start though. He knows San well. Maybe he needs to start thinking like his partner to figure out where he had gone, or at least how he had managed it. That would be the first step to finding him. If he couldn’t rely on finding clues like normal, he’d have to do his best to profile instead. Seonghwa goes through a mental list of people he could talk to, only one immediately coming to mind. 

  
  
  
  


Hongjoong doesn’t know what to make of this. If he were human he would, of course, be referring to the sight of a large dog skulking along the streets at night with its nose diligently pressed to the ground, searching in vain for a scent trail. A large dog too big to be anything but a werewolf. As a fae, however, he doesn’t know what to make of it because why the hell is Yunho endangering himself like this? The full moon isn’t due for another week. 

Yunho, however, hasn’t yet caught onto the fae’s presence. He’s too busy searching for a scent that just isn’t there. He sneezes when a particularly pungent wave of sewage suddenly washes over his nose, and he tries to block it out, focusing on the one scent that he’s been trying to track for the better part of a week. Unfortunately that scent is just too underwhelming, and the smell of sewage quickly knocks him off track again. 

Clearing his throat rather loudly, the fae draws Yunho’s attention to him, and he almost laughs at the way the werewolf completely freezes up when he lays eyes on Hongjoong. “How odd,” he says while approaching Yunho. His hands are clasped together behind his back, and he tilts his head back to look up at the night sky. “It’s not a full moon tonight,” he notes. “What are you doing running around like this?” 

Yunho’s ears press flat against his head, tail tucked between his legs, and he lowers his body closer to the ground. He looks exactly like a dog groveling for forgiveness. “Don’t,” Hongjoong tells him, motioning for the werewolf to stand back up. “I’m not scolding you. I’m just curious.” Honestly, Hongjoong doesn’t really have much of a problem with Yunho transforming more if that’s what he wants to, but running around the city like this? No matter how late it is, Hongjoong isn’t sure it’s a smart move. 

Yunho sits down, giving Hongjoong his full attention. The fae stares at him for a long moment before he sighs, looking around at their current surroundings. They’re far from their usual part of the city, even more reason for Yunho to not be wandering around so indiscreetly. Hongjoong has a pretty good idea of why he’s here then. “I don’t suppose this has anything to do with San,” he says, a hint of disappointment in his voice. 

Yunho’s ears go flat against his head again, and he turns his head away. It’s his indication of a no. 

“Just felt like going for a run, did you?” 

The werewolf looks back at him. A yes this time. 

Hongjoong looks down at the sidewalk, taking a few more steps towards the werewolf. With a solemn expression, Hongjoong brings his hands from behind his back, revealing the item he found. Yunho turns away from the fae then, lowering his head in apparent shame. Hongjoong’s holding a stuffed dog in his hands. “It has a human scent clinging to it,” he notes. “Is it San’s?” 

Yunho stubbornly refuses to meet his gaze, ears still pressed flat to his head. 

“Shall I get rid of it for you?” Hongjoong suggests, fingers digging into the body of the doll. 

In less than three seconds, Hongjoong has a very tall, very naked body pressed up to his own. Yunho grabs the stuffed animal by the head, attempting to pull it out of his hold, but the fae maintains a tight grip on it. “Don’t,” Yunho says. “It’s mine.” 

“Yunho,” Hongjoong sighs, finally relinquishing the doll to the werewolf. “What are you doing?” 

“I’m just…” he trails off, unable to come up with a defense on the spot like this, so he just hugs the stuffed toy to his body. “Where did you even find this?” 

“Just looking for your ex?” Hongjoong questions even though they both know that’s the case. There’s really no point in trying to continue the lie. “And where do you think I found it? I was just going on a little walk myself, and I saw a pile of clothes and this hiding behind some brush in the park. That’s how I knew to look for you. It’s not a full moon. It’s unusual for you to be wandering around like this.” 

“I just thought I would look around in my own free time,” Yunho says, avoiding Hongjoong’s gaze. 

“And?” the fae prompts. 

Yunho’s gaze drops down to the doll in his hands, fingers running against the soft fur. “I’ve spent days looking around the city. I can’t pick up his scent anymore. He’s gone.” 

Hongjoong takes in a deep breath. “And what? Are you going to travel the whole country just to find out where he is?” 

“I just want to know that he’s safe,” Yunho argues. 

“He’s a hunter,” Hongjoong reminds him. “I’m sure he’s more than capable of taking care of himself. He doesn’t need you to babysit him.” 

“That doesn’t mean I don’t worry,” Yunho whispers. “How do I know that he left on his own? What if something happened to him and that’s why he’s disappeared?” 

Hongjoong licks his lips, digging his hands into the pockets of his pants. “Then I suppose that would be tragic indeed, but it’s, frankly, none of your concern.” 

Frowning at his friend, Yunho hugs the doll closer to his chest, squeezing it there. He understands. He does. He knows why Hongjoong is acting like this. It’s just his way of showing concern because what Yunho is doing is reckless and dangerous, and he’s just trying to keep the werewolf safe. However, no matter how many times he reminds the werewolf of the fact that he’d been dating a hunter, Yunho doesn’t think it will ever sway him to stop caring. 

He tried already. The night he had gone back to his apartment and found the stuffed dog underneath his bed, he tried to cut the hunter out once and for all that night. When he had stood in front of the dumpster out back, though, toy in hand, he couldn’t actually bring himself to throw it away. He might have broken things off with San a while ago now, but he clearly couldn’t cut off the human completely. 

He’s still haunted by the memory of that full moon night. Yunho hasn’t been able to forget the expression on the human’s face that night. The shock San demonstrated had been genuine. Yunho believes that. He also can’t quite forget how San had seemed to come to his defense without even asking. Maybe he’d just been desperate to keep Yunho. The werewolf can’t say, but he does remember the human’s conviction that he believed Yunho had never caused trouble. Never hurt anyone. He still remembers the blond’s tears and his heartbroken expression the last time they’d seen each other. It’s not something Yunho had been proud of, but he kept justifying it to himself. That it was the best decision for  _ him_. 

Now he’s starting to wonder if he might have made a mistake by not even considering  _ them_. He didn’t even give San a chance. If they had wanted to, the hunters probably could have killed them that night, but they hadn’t. Was he obligated to give the human a chance? Considering the circumstances, Yunho isn’t so sure he needed to, but should he have? Yunho is starting to wonder. 

“I know he’s a hunter,” he finally says, “but I also know that he’s a good person. I don’t know if I could live with myself knowing that I didn’t even try to help him.” 

“If he didn’t ask for your help he probably didn’t want it.” 

Yunho flinches at the words. No, if San didn’t ask for help it’s probably because he felt he couldn’t. 

“Look, I didn’t want to mention it so as not to cause you any worry, but that other hunter, Seonghwa, has been following me around.” 

Yunho presses his lips down into a thin line. “Okay, but it’s not like San is,” he says a bit too defensively.

“You don’t think that’s concerning at all?!” Hongjoong explodes on him. “What if he’s watching you too? And they were partners. How do we know that San isn’t involved?”

“Well, what proof is there?” Yunho retorts, raising his voice to match Hongjoong’s. “Seonghwa is looking for him. He says it’s more important than we are, and I’ve looked. I can’t find a single sign of San anywhere in this city. What reason do I have to believe otherwise?”

“Why are you even so attached? You  _ broke up_.” 

“He covered for me!” Yunho says, fingers digging into the stuffed animal. “He sent Seonghwa in the completely wrong direction to buy me some time.”

“That doesn’t—”

“Hongjoong,” he pleads in the small voice. 

The fae clicks his tongue in annoyance but finally backs down. They’re quiet for a moment until Yunho finally realizes that he should probably stop walking around the streets fully nude and go back to get his clothes. He bows his head a little in apology before he tries to walk past the fae. “Fine,” Hongjoong says before the werewolf can get too far. Yunho pauses, turning to look at him curiously. “If you want to find San I’ll help but under one condition.” 

Yunho licks his lips and strokes the dog’s head with his fingers. “What?” he asks cautiously. 

“We can find him, but that’s it,” Hongjoong says, linking his hands together behind his back. “I understand that you’re concerned for his safety, but for your own safety I think you’re better off not getting involved. So is that not an agreeable compromise?” 

The werewolf sucks in a deep breath as he thinks over Hongjoong’s proposal. He can’t really be doing this on his own. At first he thought it would be easy. He had something with San’s scent. He thought it might just take him a few days to track down the human by tracing his scent, but San had clearly been more prepared than he expected. “Okay,” he agrees even though he knows he’s lying. “We just find him. To set my nerves at ease.” 

Hongjoong nods his head in agreement. “Good. Now get dressed. And throw that dirty thing out.” Yunho hugs the toy to his chest, lips turning into a pout as he glowers at the fae. Hongjoong just laughs at him, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry,” he assures the werewolf. “I think I know where to start looking.” 

  
  
  
  


Seonghwa takes a step back as the door in front of him swings forward. Chan pokes his head out, and Seonghwa tilts his head forward in greeting. “Hey,” the older hunter greets, opening the door wider for Seonghwa. 

“Thanks for meeting with me,” Seonghwa says as he steps into Chan’s apartment. “I know I sort of contacted you out of the blue.” 

“Yeah, no problem.” The elder shuts the door behind him before motioning for Seonghwa to take a seat in the living room. Chan follows behind him, taking a seat on the couch adjacent to the seat that Seonghwa chooses to sit in. “So what is it that you needed?” 

Looking around the apartment, Seonghwa sighs, slowly rolling his wrists in a clockwise motion. “How are you doing? Have you found any leads on your cousin?” 

Chan smiles thinly at the question, clasping his hands together in his lap. “I’ve found a few promising leads, but nothing that’s panned out so far.”

“Ah. I’m sorry to hear that.” Seonghwa rubs his hands against his pants before he wraps them over his knee. “If I could offer my help or any resources I would, but I’m afraid I’m stretched quite thin myself right now.” Between San’s disappearance and Hongjoong and Yunho’s continued existence he feels like he has way too much to worry about. 

Thankfully, Chan waves off his concern anyways. “It’s fine. I think I have a handle of the situation. I’m just kind of shocked how long he’s been able to avoid me.” He unclasps his fingers to clap them together a few times. “Anyways, you called saying it was urgent. What did you need?”

Seonghwa licks his lips, carefully thinking over the story he had come up with to explain his needs. His boss had told him to keep his investigation under wraps for the time being. “The thing is, San’s been very off since that...incident. That execution.” 

Chan tilts his head to the side. “How do you mean?” 

“Well, that’s what I’m trying to figure out,” Seonghwa says. “I’ve been worried about him, as his partner and all. I thought maybe it would help to know his background, so to speak, since I was pretty late to join you guys.” 

The elder nods his head in understanding. “You mean, like, his childhood? You should ask his sister.” 

“Well, you know how it is between them. She doesn’t really want to talk to me. I think because she’s worried I might relay something to him, you know?” 

Chan hums thoughtfully at his words, tapping his fingers against his chin. “Yeah, Haneul can be like that. I don’t know if I can help you much though.” 

“You were born into one of the branch families though, weren’t you?” 

“Sure.” The elder shrugs his shoulders. “But I’ve never known San all that well, even as a kid. He was too young, so we didn’t share training together.” He feels a little bad when Seonghwa looks visibly disappointed, so he adds, “I think Felix knew him a bit better. They trained together until he was pulled from training for being...less than adequate.” 

“I see.” So Felix would have been the best person to talk to. It’s a shame he can’t do that right now. Seonghwa isn’t sure if he has time to wait for him to be found either. Does he need to throw himself behind Chan to figure out where Felix is? Seonghwa resists the urge to sigh in frustration. Well isn’t that all great. 

Apparently sensing his distress, Chan tries to give him more to work with. “Well, what did you want to know? Haneul and I trained together, so I know some things from her.” 

“Anything,” Seonghwa says eagerly. “Anything you can remember about him or his family would be helpful.” 

“Alright.” Chan cups his chin as he racks his brain for what he can remember about them. “Well, the siblings actually used to get along when they were kids. Pretty well from what I remember. They only started fighting after they reached their teenage years.” 

“What happened?” Seonghwa asks. 

“I’m not entirely sure. I never really heard the full story. I guess the thing is that they used to get along quite well because they were the weird ones in training.” 

Seonghwa’s eyebrows knit together at that statement. “Weird ones?” 

Chan nods his head. “Yeah. You know the philosophy we go by, don’t you? We don’t show mercy to any supernatural creature for any reason for our own safety and for the safety of others. They lie and deceive to survive, and the only thing standing between them and the extinction of humans is us.” Seonghwa nods his head at the reminder. Yes, he was well aware. “Well, Haneul used to get in trouble all the time because she constantly spoke up against it. Said it was only fair to hunt the ones who had done something wrong. I think it was probably the reason her father banned her from hunting.” 

Seonghwa blinks, leaning back against his seat and folding his arms over his chest. Honestly, he always figured it was a weird chivalry thing on their father’s half, and Haneul’s desperation to prove her worth came from the fact that her father just never saw it. “So, San wasn’t like that then?” 

“He didn’t have as many outbursts during class, but they shared the same view. It’s why they were close. They stuck together on it, and their mother usually protected them from getting punished. Haneul used to tell me it was their mom who taught them to be more open minded when it came to hunting.” 

“So then why the sudden cold shoulder between the two?” 

Chan reaches up to scratch his head. “Things got harder for Haneul after their mother passed away. She got into more trouble for her outbursts until her father outright banned her. I think she started getting more hostile towards San after that because she was mad about being forced out of hunting. At least, that’s what I think. She never really told me herself.” 

“Why was she forced out but not San?” Seonghwa questions. “They shared similar views, right?” Certainly, Seonghwa can remember San sometimes questioning him when they went on a hunt together, especially the days leading up to his disappearance, but the blond had never really voiced his opinion much before that. Usually, he went along with whatever Seonghwa wanted, always allowing the elder to take the lead. 

Chan shrugs his shoulders, not entirely sure himself. “I don’t really know. I think he was just quieter about it? Felix never said anything about him getting into trouble during training.” 

Seonghwa nods his head as he takes a moment to absorb all this information. He could believe that. San had a way of just melding to whatever his father wanted to avoid his wrath. Plus, Seonghwa can’t help but let his mind wander to the incidents with Hongjoong and Yunho. He’d let both of them go. He’d been quite visibly shaken by that vampire’s execution, but he had seemed fairly normal when they were working on that warlock case together. 

“What about their mother?” Seonghwa asks. “When did she pass away?” 

“When they were still both quite young. I was only, like, nine or ten at the time. She was sick, unfortunately.” His lips pull into a frown, but his eyes narrow as another thought suddenly occurs to him. “You know, I don’t know if this is actually true, but I remember Felix telling me once that San supposedly had an Ifrit friend.” 

Seonghwa perks up at that. “Ifrit?” he repeats. “How would he know an Ifrit? Why?”

Chan hums, nodding his head. “I just remembered after I told you about how their mom was sick. I don’t actually know if it’s true or not. I just remember hearing it from Felix once. I think Haneul might have mentioned it a couple times too if it lends any credence to it. The family, or at least the mother, had hired a warlock to help manage her sickness. Apparently the Ifrit was in the warlock’s charge at the time, and that’s how they met.” 

Seonghwa cocks his head to the side. “A warlock,” he muses. It seems pretty unusual for the family to have done such a thing. However, based on what Chan had said about San’s mother—well—it didn’t seem like something so odd for her to do. “So they hired a warlock to help with the mother’s illness?” 

The elder hunter nods his head in confirmation before he leans forward to rest his elbows against his knees. “Yeah. Well, rumor had it that the warlock was actually poisoning her with his potions, and that’s why she passed away so young.” He grins at the expression on Seonghwa’s face, leaning back against the couch. “It’s just a rumor though. There was never any proof, and as far as I know neither San nor Haneul believe it.” 

Seonghwa cups his chin in his hand, running his fingers over his lips in thought. San had never mentioned having an Ifrit for a friend or about his family hiring the services of a warlock. He never seemed to be hiding the information either, but Seonghwa wonders if he had been purposefully trying to conceal it in light of the scrutiny and treatment the siblings had clearly been under following their mother’s death. 

Think like San, he tells himself as he slides his eyes shut and tries to integrate this new information with what he knows about his partner and where he’s gone so far. He’s not running on a lot of information right now, but at the very least he can confidently assume that San had acted on his own free will. That said, there’s nothing to indicate that he worked alone. In fact, now Seonghwa wonders if it’s entirely possible that San might have sought out help. 

His family had previously hired the services of a warlock before. San likely wouldn’t be opposed to doing such a thing either. In fact, magic may very well have helped him disappear. He had no proof, but if he worked off that logic then finding San’s accomplice would likely be the only way to find him. Only problem is: who on earth would San have asked? Yunho? Seonghwa had already tried him, and he’s certain the wolf had nothing to do with it. That fae? Unlikely, but it’s a starting point. 

“Thanks,” Seonghwa says as he picks himself up from his seat. 

“You don’t need anything else?” Chan asks. 

“No. That was more than helpful I think. Thank you so much.” 

“Sure.” The elder walks him to the door again, holding up a hand to say goodbye. “Let me know if you need anything else.” 

“I will.” Seonghwa smiles at him, bowing politely to him before he ducks out the door with hurried steps. Great. Now he needs to find that annoying fae again. 

  
  
  
  


San’s fever breaks only a couple days after Yeosang first visits him, and, true to his word, Yeosang stops by frequently to keep track of the human’s progress. “Has he woken up at all?” the warlock asks during his latest visit. San isn’t running a fever anymore, and, while his neck still looks like it’s in pretty bad shape, the bite wound has closed up and is healing normally. The skin on his neck still shows quite a bit of discoloration, though, a mottled mess of yellow and blue and green. The only real issues left are his broken bones and the concussion, all of which will take mostly rest to resolve. 

“He’s opened his eyes a few times, but I don’t think he was ever really conscious though,” Wooyoung says. “He would go back to sleep almost immediately afterwards.” 

Yeosang nods his head. “Well, that’s probably a good thing. He’ll need rest more than anything to recover.” He digs out a little bottle of salve from his bag, handing it over to the mermaid who takes it curiously. “That’s to help with the bruising,” Yeosang says, tapping the bottle once with his finger before he shuffles through his bag for another bottle with an ointment this time. Wooyoung takes that from the warlock as well, eyeing the contents curiously. “This one should help with the pain. It’s fine to go without it if San stays asleep most of the time, but he’ll probably need it when he starts to wake up for longer periods of time.” 

“Okay.” Wooyoung holds up the bottle with the green salve and mutters, “for bruises,” under his breath repeatedly. Then he does the same with the clear ointment, reminding himself that it’s for pain relief. 

“Oh, and next time he wakes up see if you can keep him awake for a bit. See if he’ll say anything,” Yeosang tells him. 

“Should I force him to stay awake then?” Wooyoung asks. 

“No.” The warlock shakes his head. “If he goes back to sleep, leave him be. Just see if he’ll respond to you at all. It’ll give us an idea of how bad his concussion might have been.” 

Wooyoung nods as he places the two bottles down on the nightstand next to San’s bed. “Okay, got it.” 

His chance to follow Yeosang’s instructions comes only a few hours later. San blinks open his eyes while Wooyoung is sifting through his finances on his computer. He makes a little groaning noise as he squints his eyes open, and the mermaid quickly slams his laptop shut and scrambles over to the bed to lean over the human. “Hey,” he says, waving his hand in front of the human’s face to draw his attention. It works. San’s gaze moves over to look at the mermaid although his eyes remain droopy and half-lidded. He doesn’t respond though, just stares at Wooyoung with a faraway look in his eyes. “Hello?” the mermaid calls for him. 

San’s eyes stray from Wooyoung to look around his surroundings. “Where am I?” he asks. 

Wooyoung visibly cringes at his voice. It’s rough and raspy, probably from a mixture of disuse and the damage done to his throat. “You’re at my place,” Wooyoung tells him. “I didn’t know where you lived.” The mermaid pauses, hoping he didn’t sound too condescending with his tone. “Anyways, you were really badly hurt, and I couldn’t take you back to your place, so I brought you here.” 

San continues to scan the room, eyes eventually falling to the two little bottles Yeosang gave him. Wooyoung follows his gaze, jolting when he lays his eyes on the ointment Yeosang gifted to him. He’d already applied some of the salve to San while he’d been resting but not the ointment as per the warlock’s directions. “Oh!” the mermaid jumps into action, grabbing the ointment from the nightstand. “Are you in pain? This will help.” 

San attempts to move his body, arms straining as if he were being held down by some sort of invisible restraints. Well it’s kind of true. “Don’t,” Wooyoung reassures him, reaching out to keep the human relaxed on the bed. “Yeosang charmed you to stay still.” 

“Who?” San asks, expression twisted into confusion for a moment. “Oh. Why?” 

“You’ve got a couple broken bones,” Wooyoung tells him, sitting himself down on the edge of the bed with the ointment in one hand. “They can’t be casted, so you just have to be as still as possible for a little bit to heal.” 

Carefully pulling down the collar of San’s shirt, Wooyoung lathers his fingers with a generous amount of the ointment and gently rubs it along the human’s broken collar bone. San doesn’t make a sound at that. Doesn’t even really react. “What? You’re not in pain?” Wooyoung asks as he moves on to the human’s chest, rubbing so more of it along his ribcage. 

“No. I’m in excruciating pain,” San says monotonously, stare fixed on the ceiling. 

Wooyoung stares at him. “Are you being sarcastic with me or not?” he asks, genuinely unsure if he should be angry with the human yet. 

“I’m being serious,” San assures him. “Feels better now though. What is that stuff?” 

Wooyoung shrugs his shoulders. “Some magic thing. I don’t know. Yeosang gave it to me.” He studies the human closely. He seems to be coherent for the most part. That’s probably a good sign then, right? “You remember Yeosang, right?” 

“Yeah. Your warlock friend,” San replies. 

Alright, so his memory seemed to be intact at least. Wooyoung opens his mouth. He’s been eager to ask San about Yeosang since the warlock had alluded to a vague promise a few days ago without elaborating any further. However, before he can ask, San pipes up with his own question, “What happened?” 

The mermaid blinks. What happened? What  _ happened?_ “You got mauled by a vampire, remember?” 

San’s expression is unhelpfully blank although he does seem to be thinking about something, probably racking his brain for any memories of being mauled by a vampire. It takes a solid minute, and in that time Wooyoung seals the bottle of ointment and places it back onto the nightstand before he nearly jumps out of his own skin when San cries out. 

“I was attacked!” he exclaims. 

“Yeah,” Wooyoung says slowly. “Do you remember now?” 

San goes quiet again for another minute, eyebrows knitted together in distress. “What happened to the vampire? I don’t remember much after he—” San lifts his head up just the slighted bit, straining to look down at himself with little success. “After he tried to choke me out.” 

“You killed him,” Wooyoung informs him. “And then I took you back here. I thought you were going to bleed out. Jesus. This is why I  _ told _ you to trust a mermaid’s intuition.” 

San’s eyes stray back over to him, his expression full of alarm. “Killed him? I did?” He remembers taking out his knife to fight back and a lot of blood, copious amounts of blood, but he doesn’t remember hitting anything vital. He doesn’t remember aiming for anything vital despite reminding himself of where he should aim to strike. 

“Yeah. You stabbed him to death,” Wooyoung tells him. “I think he probably died from blood loss, to be honest. I think he must have been starved. He was absolutely insane. Good riddance.” The mermaid huffs, crossing his arms over his chest at the thought. How dare he? the mermaid thinks to himself. Wooyoung had been in plain view of both the vampire and San, and yet the stupid creature had still been brazen enough to attack  _ his _ employee? Wooyoung would have finished the job himself if he needed to. 

Which is why he’s so shocked when San mumbles, “Why did I do that?” 

“What do you mean?” Wooyoung asks, looking at the human like he’s lost his mind. “He would have killed you if you hadn’t killed him first! He literally kept at it even when you pulled a knife. He should have realized you weren’t easy prey at that moment and backed off, but he didn’t.” 

“Yeah, but why did I—” San cuts himself off, stomach churning as an uncomfortable feeling settles in him. He doesn’t know what it is. Because Wooyoung is right, of course. San had merely acted out of self defense. There was no better justification, so why the guilt? 

“Eh? What’s with that face?” Wooyoung asks, pointing to the human as he leans closer. “Don’t tell me you actually feel bad for that vampire.” 

“I didn’t have to kill him,” San tries to say, but the mermaid scoffs. 

“I’m telling you, that guy was crazy. He would have killed  _ someone _ that night the way he was going. Don’t feel bad about it. If he succeeded on another human even the presiding vampire clan would have launched an investigation. It never looks good for a corpse to turn up so mutilated.” Wooyoung frowns when he notes that the human’s expression remains unchanged. “Why?” he demands, sitting up onto his knees so he can lean further over San. “Why do you feel bad? I don’t understand. You even said you mostly killed vampires when you were a hunter, right?” 

“I know, but—” San hiccups, clearing his throat as he tries to normalize his voice again. 

“But what?!” 

San goes quiet again, biting down on his bottom lip as he slowly forces himself to meet the mermaid’s stare. Wooyoung looks back at him, appearing expectant as he waits for an answer. 

“I mean, weren’t you trained to kill the ones like that?” he goads when San continues to maintain his silence. 

“My family executed a vampire by sunlight once, and I was there to witness it,” San finally says. Wooyoung goes silent, sitting back on his heels as he relaxes the tension in his shoulders. Sunlight, huh. The mermaid presses his lips together. It was a barbaric way to kill a vampire, at least when intentional. Clearly San agrees because he says, “It was brutal. He was chained to the ground so he couldn’t escape, and it took a long time. Longer than I would have liked. He’d killed people before too, but something about it just didn’t sit right with me. It still doesn’t.” 

Wooyoung is stunned into silence for a moment, staring at the human with wide, unblinking eyes. But then his gaze lands on San’s neck. It hasn’t been bandaged for about a day now that the bleeding let up, and a sense of rage engulfs him at the sight of the bruises on the human’s neck. He says, “I understand that, but this vampire almost killed  _ you_, San. How are you going to feel guilty for _ surviving_?” 

“What makes my life so important?” San challenges, but his question sounds oddly hollow.

Another flare of annoyance makes itself known in Wooyoung’s stomach. “What made  _ his _ life more important than  _ yours_,” he shrieks at him, throwing his hands up to stop himself from hitting the human instead. He has to remind himself that San is injured. “God, I thought you were a hunter. If you feel this bad for killing a vampire that tried to kill you, I totally get why you left. You suck at it.” 

San tries to laugh at his joke, but it’s hard. It comes out strained and stiff, throat sore from the effort. “I just don’t know if a lot of them are half as bad as I think.” 

“Not all of them are bad,” Wooyoung acknowledges with a little tilt of his head. “Plenty of them have learned to curb their habits. Sometimes killing is inevitable, but it can make a difference in how and who they choose to hunt. That vampire chose wrong when he picked you, and he paid for that. It wasn’t a matter of morality but of survival instead. And if it hadn’t been you just think about it. It would have been some other human, turned up a twisted and bloody mess by now.” 

“I just—” San struggles to properly express his thoughts, eventually sighing as he forces himself to relax on the bed. It’s not just about the vampire. It’s about the way Yunho and Hongjoong had talked to him before, like his existence as a hunter was inherently malignant. “It just doesn’t feel right to me. Even if he was a little manic, it’s not like I have such a great claim to innocence. I might have more blood on my hands than him.” 

A beat of silence passes between them for a brief moment before Wooyoung retorts, “You’re literally the worst hunter I’ve ever met.” The mermaid holds his hand up to silence the human when San opens his mouth to argue. “Don’t. I won’t hear it. The vampire died because he chose the wrong fucking victim, and that’s no one’s fault but his own. You didn’t pick a fight. You survived, and, in my eyes, that’s a  _ good _ thing okay? So I don’t want to hear jack shit from you unless it’s you talking about literally anything else but that fucking vampire piece of shit.” The mermaid reaches out to pull the blanket up before pressing it down over the lower half of the human’s face, smothering him to stop him from uttering a sound. “I’m not listening to this bullshit anymore.” 

San nods his head, conceding defeat, and gasping in a breath when Wooyoung pulls the blanket away from him. “Should you really be treating me like that? I’m injured.” 

“You’re annoying,” Wooyoung sneers although his smile betrays his tone. “Are you hungry? Should I get you something to eat?” 

“Water would be great. Thanks.” 

“Okay, I’ll just stuff your face with some rice porridge,” the mermaid teases as he pushes himself up from the bed. A thought suddenly occurs to him then, and he turns to look back at the human again. “Hey. When did you meet Yeosang by the way?” 

“The warlock?” San pauses for a few seconds. “I don’t know. A couple months ago? We were hunting him.” 

“Huh.” Wooyoung places his hands on his hips, cocking his head to the side. “Are you sure you haven’t met him before?” 

“I don’t think so, no.” San strains his head up to look at the mermaid curiously. “Why do you ask?” 

Wooyoung shrugs his shoulders. “No reason. I think I just misunderstood something. I’ll be right back with something to eat.” 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeosang is placed in a tough position while San recovers.

Yeosang licks his lips before he sucks his bottom lip into his mouth. He’d come home late that night after checking in on San again. The human is doing well for the most part. His recovery is a bit of a slow process, but he’s able to move around a little albeit slowly. It’s enough to at least give Wooyoung some freedom to go back to the bar and make sure everything is running okay. However, when he turns on the light, he’s immediately greeted with the sight of Hongjoong and Yunho who have apparently made themselves perfectly comfortable in his living room. 

Hongjoong has sprawled himself out on the couch, cushioning his head in his hands while Yunho has curled himself up on the floor, a stuffed toy in his lap which seems oddly out of place. The werewolf, at least, looks a little bashful, running his fingers over the floor of Yeosang’s living room in nervous patterns. Hongjoong doesn’t look at all apologetic, but Yeosang isn’t too surprised by the fae’s nonchalance. If anything, it puts him on guard. Hongjoong has a habit of disregarding people he’s mad at, and the warlock has a sneaking suspicion that the fae is mad at him right now.

Yeosang tries to play it off with a smile, though, peeling off his jacket. “Ah. To what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit?” he asks, slipping his shoes off as he steps into his own apartment. 

Yunho looks up at him before quickly turning away, tugging on his earlobe anxiously. Yeosang notes his behavior with some satisfaction. Hongjoong, on the other hand, is utterly shameless. He grins at the warlock with a small little salute in greeting as he readjusts himself so he’s sitting upright. He still spreads himself out as best he can, taking up as much room as possible. 

Yeosang turns away from them to hang up his coat, taking the opportunity to make faces at the fae’s behavior while Hongjoong can’t see him. By the time he turns back towards the two of them, his smile has returned. Curse the fae for always pulling age on him like this when they were only a few decades apart. 

“We came here to discuss a matter of utmost urgency,” Hongjoong tells him, crooking a finger at the warlock to beckon him closer. 

“Is that so?” Yeosang asks as he steps into the living room. The two of them look anything but urgent. 

Hongjoong stretches a leg out to nudge Yunho with his foot. The werewolf twists his body to look at Hongjoong, startling when the fae stares at him pointedly. “Oh, right.” Yunho turns back to face Yeosang, fidgeting when the warlock raises his eyebrows in curiosity. “Ah, well, it’s about San,” Yunho explains in a small voice. 

“San?” Yeosang echoes, eyes moving back and forth between the fae and the werewolf. “Why? I thought you both agreed that he wasn’t your concern anymore.” 

“I thought we did, but Yunho clearly didn’t agree,” Hongjoong pipes up. Yunho turns his head away when the fae stares at him. “So we came to a different agreement instead.” 

“Oh?” the warlock asks. “And I suppose that’s why you’re here? To ask for my help again?” 

Yunho nods his head, expression hopeful. “I tried looking for him myself, but I couldn’t find a trace of him anywhere.” He reaches up to scratch at the back of his head. “I kind of realized I could use all the help I can get.” 

Yeosang hums in understanding, nodding his head slowly. “Well, I don’t mind helping, but I’m not sure how much I can do for you.” 

Without further prompting, Yunho squeezes the stuffed toy in his lap and holds it out to the warlock. “This was San’s,” he says. He doesn’t notice how Yeosang pales at the sight of the doll. The warlock had taken everything of any personal value that the human possessed, specifically to avoid this exact scenario. How had this doll escaped his notice? “I figured we could use it for a tracking spell,” Yunho suggests. 

Yeosang quickly composes himself, reaching out a hand to take the stuffed dog from the werewolf. He’s not even sure if he could perform such a tracking spell if he wanted to. It would likely be considered a breach of his contract with San, thus nullifying the spell. “Well—” he starts before Hongjoong interrupts him. 

“Or you could tell us how he’s doing.” 

Both Yunho and Yeosang turn to stare at the fae. “What do you mean?” the werewolf asks. 

“I mean,” Hongjoong bores his eyes into Yeosang’s although the warlock fearlessly meets his gaze head on, “you could just tell us how he’s doing. And where he is to ease Yunho’s worries, you know? Since you know all that.” 

Yunho turns to look up at Yeosang this time, but the warlock maintains his smile, stroking the dog’s head with his fingers. “Now why on earth would you think that?” 

Hongjoong leans forward to rest his elbows on top of his thighs. All the playfulness from before has dissipated, replaced by complete seriousness. “Because you know, don’t you?” 

“Do I?” Yeosang questions as if it’s the first time he’s hearing this. 

“Don’t you?” Hongjoong pressures. 

Yunho whips his head back and forth between the two of them as the fae and warlock go after each other. “Hold on,” he interjects when their petty arguments goes nowhere. “What’s going on? What do you mean he knows where San is?” He looks at Hongjoong when he asks, quickly turning his confusion to Yeosang. “Do you know where San is?” 

Neither of them indulge Yunho. They’re both too absorbed with staring the other down, trying to gauge each other. Hongjoong finally looks away first. They’re not enemies after all, the fae has to remind himself. “I didn’t think much of it at first,” he says. “You’ve been visiting a client out of town quite frequently as of late, haven’t you?” 

“I have clients from all over,” Yeosang sniffs dismissively. “Don’t tell me now that it’s somehow against the rules. One of them is just requiring a little more follow up lately.” 

Hongjoong releases a breath as he regards the warlock. Yeosang maintains his innocence by saying nothing further. “Alright, but remember how San approached you a few months ago?” 

Yunho makes an alarmed noise, reaching out to tug on the warlock’s sleeve pleadingly. Yeosang sucks in a calming breath, fingers curling around the doll’s head. “Yes,” he finally answers. “You were there.” 

“I was,” the fae acknowledges. “What did the two of you discuss?” Very blunt. As expected of Hongjoong but so very odd for a fae. Fairies loved speaking in half truths and riddles. Yeosang bites back an amused smile. Humans had tainted Hongjoong so much. 

“I told you already,” Yeosang replies. “He wanted a favor in exchange for some intelligence regarding my safety. I declined.” 

“So you didn’t take the offer even though he was basically giving you protection from other hunters?” Hongjoong challenges. 

“I didn’t think I needed it,” Yeosang says breathily. “Clearly, I didn’t, seeing as I’m still perfectly fine.” 

“So, what did he want from you?”

Yeosang finally falters a bit, blinking his eyes at Hongjoong. “What?” he stutters. 

“I’m curious what he wanted so badly from a warlock that he was willing to give up information his family had gathered.” Hongjoong rests his chin in his hand, looking at Yeosang with wide eyes. “I mean, you declined, so what’s the harm in telling us, right? I don’t suppose that he asked for your help for his whole disappearing act.” 

Yeosang inhales deeply before releasing his breath slowly. He’s quiet after Hongjoong’s request, careful because he’s not entirely sure about whether or not he’d be breaching his own contract. San had been infuriatingly vague in his wording. Yeosang hadn’t thought it would come to bite him in the ass quite this hard though. “He asked me if I would—” Yeosang’s throat suddenly seizes up, unable to continue his own words, but he does his best to recover from the stumble as best he can. “He was seeking help for a family matter, but I informed him that I don’t do any work for hunters.” 

Hongjoong narrows his eyes at the warlock. Holding himself up straight, Yeosang keeps himself composed as best he can, handing the stuffed toy back to Yunho who hesitantly accepts it. “I know the influence of a contract when I see one, Yeosangie. I’m just as familiar with this type of magic.” 

The warlock sighs, shoulders slumping. He’s been caught, and there’s nothing more he can do. Of course Hongjoong would notice. Fairies used a similar type of spell to bind their own victims. He would recognize it better than anyone. Yunho turns to look at Hongjoong, his expression filled with anxiety. “What’s going on? What do you mean by a contract?” 

“It’s a magical agreement,” Hongjoong explains, finally relaxing his posture a bit when he realizes that he caught Yeosang in a lie. “It’s binding. Whatever he signed with San is stopping him from telling us anything about the human.” The warlock drops his gaze to the floor, avoiding both of their curious stares. “So, he knows where San is. He helped San get wherever he is. So, he should theoretically have all the information that we need. However, whatever San asked him to do in their contract is stopping him from telling us anything. You did sign a contract with him, didn’t you?” He looks at Yeosang who clears his throat awkwardly. 

“I can’t say,” he answers. 

“Do you know where the hunter is?” Hongjoong asks. 

“Can’t say,” Yeosang repeats. 

“Do you know his status?” 

The warlock licks his lips. “Can’t say.” 

“How did you get him out?” 

“Can’t say.” 

The fae sighs in frustration at Yeosang’s repetitive answers. “Well, what can you tell us?” he asks. 

Releasing a breath, Yeosang fiddles with the sleeve of his shirt, pulling it down over his hands. “I can tell you that I can’t tell either of you anything in regards to where San is, what he’s doing now, and how he’s doing.” He glances down to Yunho, quickly looking away when the werewolf meets his gaze. The werewolf looks so disappointed and desperate, Yeosang can’t bear the sight. “My contract with him prevents me from saying anything to either of you.” 

“Specifically us or did he ask for your silence in general?” Hongjoong asks. 

“He specifically named both of you,” Yeosang answers, looking at the fae. “You because you were there. Yunho because, well.” He shrugs his shoulders. The answer is obvious to all three of them. 

Yunho suddenly stands up from his spot on the ground, the stuffed dog left on the ground. Yeosang stumbles back a couple of steps back, but he’s no match for the stride of a werewolf. Yunho easily grabs him by the collar of his shirt, dragging the warlock in closer. “Where is he?” Yunho demands. 

Yeosang gulps, Adam’s apple bobbing at the action. Before he can answer, however, Hongjoong thankfully inserts himself. “Calm down, Yunho,” he tells the werewolf, motioning for Yunho to take a step back from Yeosang. He doesn’t, although his grip on the warlock loosens up a bit. “He couldn’t tell us even if he wanted to.” 

Yunho twists his fist into Yeosang’s shirt, glowering at the warlock. “Do you?” he asks. 

“Do I what?” Yeosang asks nervously. 

“Want to tell me where San is?” 

Yeosang huffs, finally looking the werewolf in the eye. “I don’t know,” he says after a long pause. Yunho is his friend. Yeosang doesn’t want to think he’d purposefully keep something important from Yunho, but a part of him is convinced that this is best for the werewolf. A part of him is grateful to the hunter for forcing him to choose a side in this case. “Would it really put your mind at ease? If you knew where he was and how he’s doing? He’s in hiding for a reason, Yunho. Hunters are looking for him as we speak. You said so yourself.” 

Yunho’s lips tremble, fingers shaking as he loses his strong grip on the warlock, enough that Yeosang reaches up to pry his fingers from his shirt. “Hongjoong is right. You let him go for a reason. Is this really your business?” 

“I—” Yunho swallows thickly this time, hand dropping back down to his side. 

“San is smart and resourceful. He managed to weasel a contract out of me. He’ll be okay.” 

Hongjoong watches the two of them from the couch, fingers playing with his bottom lip as Yunho finally draws back from Yeosang. The werewolf has his head dipped low, chin tucked to his chest. “You heard Yeosang,” he says, drawing Yunho’s attention. “Do you still want to do this?” 

Yunho sucks in a breath. “Yes,” he answers, meeting Hongjoong’s gaze head on. “Because I’m not sure that I didn’t make a mistake by letting him go in the first place.” 

Hongjoong sighs, hanging his head in defeat. “Alright.” He lifts his head back up to look over at Yeosang. “So what would you do then? Get help from a friend? No, he was a hunter. You wouldn’t risk one of your friends, would you?” The fae narrows his eyes in thought as he looks at the warlock. Yeosang sighs, planting his hands on his hips. He doesn’t say anything though. He can’t. 

Yunho looks at Yeosang reproachfully. “Is he with someone you trust?” he asks. The warlock can only stare back at him. Yunho should know by now that he can’t say. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t say. All he can do is try to deter the werewolf, although Yunho doesn’t seem too interested in the idea of leaving San alone. His nose twitches as he stares at Yeosang, and the warlock wonders what he must have picked up on. 

Yunho looks at him, his eyebrows furrowed together in a look of concern. Hongjoong is still watching the two of them curiously. Then the werewolf abruptly pivots on his heels, turning to snatch the stuffed toy from the floor. Without a word he pushes past Yeosang to head for the exit. 

“Yunho!” Hongjoong calls for him, finally jumping out of his seat, but the werewolf pays him no attention. The door bangs open when Yunho throws it open, leaving the warlock and the fae behind him. 

  
  
  
  


Wooyoung glances over to San as he finishes buttoning up his shirt. He feels nervous leaving the human home alone like this even though he should be perfectly safe, especially in Wooyoung’s apartment. San isn’t quite mobile yet, but he’s gotten to the point where he’s conscious most times, just bedridden. Currently he’s sullenly stirring a bowl of soup with his spoon, staring down at it like he’s contemplating whether or not he wants to eat it. 

“It’s good,” the mermaid says, motioning to the soup San seems on the fence about. 

“I don’t doubt that,” San sighs. He brings up a small spoonful of the soup, sniffing at it before having a small taste. He smacks his lips together and goes back to stirring the soup. “I’ve eaten the food at the bar before. It’s good.” 

Wooyoung beams at him. “Right?” he asks, fishing for praise. San hums, taking another small bite of his soup. The mermaid had already applied the salve and ointment to the human for the night, smacking away San’s hand when the human had reached for the bottles to do it himself. Now Wooyoung is getting ready to leave to keep an eye on the bar, at least for a little bit, but he’s nervous about leaving the human alone. 

“Are you going to be alright?” he asks. 

San looks up at the question, smiling at Wooyoung as he stirs the bowl of soup again. “I’ll be fine,” he assures the mermaid. “What am I going to even do while you’re gone?”

Wooyoung frowns at the joke, and he bunches up the T-shirt he’d previously worn to throw at the human. It doesn’t land anywhere near him, arching up and then down to land at the foot of the bed. San has a point, though. He can barely even get out of bed, at least not without help. He doesn’t really like to be out of bed either because it causes too much discomfort to his chest and lungs. Even sitting upright in bed like this quickly wears down on him until he has to lie down again. 

“I’m being serious.”

“So am I,” San insists. “Unless you think a vampire might just burst in here while you’re gone.” He looks around his surroundings suspiciously, eyes lingering on the bedroom window. They’re eight stories up, and not even a vampire would be able to make that jump. 

Wooyoung bares his teeth at the human in annoyance. “Why do I even bother?” he mutters under his breath. Smiling innocently, San brings the bowl closer to himself and takes another bite in an unnecessary bit of showmanship. Wooyoung holds in a sigh. “Call me if something happens, or you need anything.” The mermaid holds up his phone as San nods his head obediently. “I can come whenever. It’s not a problem, but if you don’t need me I’ll stay until closing. It’s a weekend so we’re probably going to get slammed.” 

“I got it.” San returns to swirling his spoon around in his bowl. “Sorry. You’re probably short staffed because of me.” 

“Well, at least it’s not a permanent issue,” Wooyoung tells him pointedly. 

The human smiles down at his soup. Wooyoung still won’t hear anything about the vampire from San, refusing to even entertain the human in the slightest when it came to the issue, so San hasn’t brought it up since. It still plagues him most of the time. He doesn’t have anything better to do other than sit around and think about the attack. Lately he hasn’t been too hung up over the guilt of killing a vampire. Instead he’s been overwhelmed with thoughts of his own vulnerability. If he hadn’t been a trained hunter—if he hadn’t had that knife on him—he would be dead now. It didn’t even matter that Wooyoung had only been a few seconds away from him. He would be dead. 

“Well, eat up and then get some rest, okay? I left some medicine for you,” he points to the bottle he left on the nightstand sitting next to the medicines Yeosang had left with him, “take it after you eat and then get some sleep. The sooner you heal up, the sooner you can stop feeling guilty for leaving me short staffed.” He pulls on the collar of his button up, straightening it out before he turns to head out the door. 

“Thanks,” San says. Wooyoung pauses, hand on the doorknob. The mermaid looks over to him, but the human goes back to eating his food. Biting back a smile, Wooyoung opens the door and leaves. 

  
  
  
  


Weekends are always busy for Wooyoung. He owns a bar, of course the weekends are more lively than the weekdays. He’s worked plenty of weekends before San, but he can’t help but realize how much he’s come to rely on the human to run the bar until San had suddenly and unexpectedly been forced on temporary leave. Wooyoung knows how to man the bar, but he kind of misses being able to sit back and oversee everyone else, filling in where he was needed. 

“Hey.” 

The mermaid looks up as he finishes garnishing a pink cocktail for a woman, handing it over to her before he twists back around towards the voice that called out to him. He blinks when he sees a familiar vampire. She’s a regular. Has been for a couple years now, but she’s always kept mostly to herself. At least until San that is. Wooyoung recognizes her. She’d been the vampire who had tried to persuade San to let her drink from him. The one Wooyoung had been convinced would be the end of San’s career here. 

“Hi,” Wooyoung smiles at her. In all her years here, he’d never quite learned her name. He remembers San asking for it though. It had been a curious scene to watch looking back on it. “Yongsun, right?” 

The vampire smiles at him, her lips painted a bright red that only accentuated her impeccably white teeth. “Ah, you remember?” 

“San remembered,” Wooyoung tells her. “He remembers all the regulars.” 

She looks pleased by his observation. She comes in every once in a while, always on a weekend, to drink a couple of Bloody Marys before she’s on her way. San still engages in small talk with her when he can, but it’s usually short lived since she always comes in during the late night rush. Wooyoung can distinctly remember that San never fails to call her by her name, though, just like he promised. 

“Bloody Mary?” he asks, already getting started on the drink. 

Yongsun hums, watching him intently as he mixes the drink for her. “What happened to the little human?” she asks. 

Wooyoung pauses halfway from finishing up her drink, slowly lifting his gaze up to look at her. “San?” he asks for clarification despite the fact that San is the only human who has ever worked here before. 

The vampire nods her head, watching as Wooyoung nearly knocks over the bottle of tomato juice when he reaches out for it. “Yes, I came in last weekend, but he wasn’t here. I was rather disappointed, so I came in this weekend to see if he was back, but it looks like he’s still gone.” 

“Yeah.” Wooyoung scrambles to finish making her drink. “He, uh, had an incident that put him out of work for a while. He’s recovering quite nicely, though, so he should be back soon. Maybe by the next time you come in.” He forgoes the celery stalk, handing her the drink as is, just the way she likes it. 

“That long, huh?” she asks, taking a sip of the drink through a straw. She hums in satisfaction, setting it aside to cup her cheek in one hand. “It must have been bad.” 

Wooyoung breathes in deeply, avoiding her gaze. She is a vampire after all. He worries about potentially causing more tension or, worse, more problems for San when he returns to work. “It was,” he squeaks out, trying to excuse himself when he notices another customer. 

Yongsun isn’t having it though, reaching out to stop him when the mermaid tries to walk away. They stare at each other for a moment, the vampire’s gaze hard and intimidating, and Wooyoung doesn’t know what to make of her interest anyways. She’s a loyal customer, and Wooyoung likes her. He thinks San does too judging by the way they’ve interacted with each other up until this point, but Wooyoung doesn’t know if her affections would extend past that. She is still a vampire after all. 

“What happened?” she asks. 

“Uh, well,” the mermaid’s eyes stray over to the customer again, and Yongsun finally sighs. 

“Go take care of your patron,” she encourages. “But I’m not done speaking about this.” She brings the straw back up to her shiny, red lips and takes another sip. 

Wooyoung does as he’s told, scurrying off to take care of the customer waving him over as he tries to think of what he should say to her. He doesn’t want to mention that San had been attacked by a vampire. It could lead to many more problems than it’s worth. At the same time, Wooyoung isn’t sure there’s much more he can do to keep the situation underwraps. She’s clearly noticed San’s absence, but more to the point, Wooyoung has no idea who that vampire was. Was he a part of one of the local clans? If so, what position did he hold? His body had been reduced to little more than dust by the time Wooyoung even thought about returning to the scene of the crime to do something about it, so there was no real evidence left, but if someone knew he was missing…

He knows there might be no escape though, because Yongsun crooks her finger at him the second she sees that he’s no longer busy with that customer. Clearing his throat, Wooyoung picks up a rag and pretends to wash his work counter, slowly making his way back towards the vampire. 

“You know, I really like this city,” she remarks when Wooyoung is close to her. “Don’t you?” 

“Hm? Oh, yeah. I guess.” Wooyoung continues to wipe at his countertop. “It’s really close to the beach. I can go for a swim whenever,” he points out with a little smile.

The vampire returns his smile, once again setting aside her Bloody Mary. “Oh, you mermaids are such a funny lot. Though, I suppose it must be nice to retreat to the ocean if need be.” She sighs and purses his lips together at the thought, seemingly jealous, but before Wooyoung can comment on it she continues. “What I meant is that this is a nice, peaceful little city. We don’t generally worry about hunters, and the humans are more or less safe from us.” 

More or less, of course, because it wasn’t uncommon for a human to go missing or turn up dead. They were rare though, and often seemed to fly under the radar of most of the population. Strategically picked for obvious reasons. San wasn’t one of those types. 

“That’s true,” Wooyoung agrees. San may not have been the first hunter Wooyoung had ever encountered, but he’s definitely one of the few. Hunters would pass through every once in a while, but they usually had a target in mind that they were tracking. They didn’t usually set up shop to just start hunting in the area. The ones who had tried were quickly driven out—mostly by the presiding vampire clans. 

Clearing her throat, Yongsun plays with the corner of her little napkin, folding it in half and then in half again. “It was brought to my attention not too long ago that an unknown vampire had been spotted in our territory. Unfortunately, I didn’t think much of it at first. I figured he was passing through or that he would seek out a clan if that was not the case, but then he suddenly disappeared from under our noses.” 

Wooyoung blinks at her, fingers curling into fists at his side. What’s she trying to say? The mermaid feels put on edge as he tries to think through his response. Could that vampire she’s talking about be the one San had killed? If so, is Wooyoung better off keeping his mouth shut? Even in a case of self-defense would Yongsun see fit to take revenge? It seems unlikely considering he seemed to be without a clan, but still. Wooyoung’s never really been one to keep up with vampire politics, so he’s not exactly sure where he should side in all of this. 

“It’s likely that he just continued on,” Yongsun continues, cupping her chin thoughtfully as she stares at her Bloody Mary like it holds all the answers. “But I’m worried because he had been skulking around for awhile before he abruptly disappeared.” 

“Worried about what?” Wooyoung asks cautiously. 

“I don’t suppose you’ve caught sign of any hunters recently, have you?” she asks. 

Wooyoung bites his lip and turns his gaze down to the counter. “No,” he answers with a shake of his head. “Like you said, this place is pretty peaceful.” 

“I know. It’s probably unlikely, but I can’t help but worry about my own if it was, in fact, a hunter. He was a lone vampire, but they might come for us next in that case. You haven’t heard anything?”

“No, I haven’t heard anything about any hunters,” Wooyoung tells her. 

“Damn,” she tuts with a little shake of her head. “I would have hoped you heard at least some gossip since you own such a popular hang out.” 

“So, you’re just worried about your own?” Wooyoung asks, gauging his reaction. 

“Of course.” She stares at Wooyoung reproachfully for a moment before waving him off. “Ah. I forgot you mermaids aren’t much for groups. Just be careful, yeah? Let me know if you hear anything.” She slips a twenty onto the counter, taking the last few sips of her drink. “Tell dear Sannie that I miss him,” she says with a little wink before hopping off the bar stool. 

“Well,” Wooyoung says, drawing her attention back to him. “I might know what happened to that vampire you were worried about. If it’s the same guy hunters had nothing to do with it.” San is an ex-hunter after all, Wooyoung reasons. 

Yongsun cocks her head to the side, clearly interested. “Oh? Why didn’t you say something earlier?” 

“Don’t get me wrong. I don’t know that we’re talking about the same guy, and I didn’t want to ruffle anyone’s feathers.” Wooyoung sighs, looking around the bar furtively before he leans in close. “San was attacked by a vampire. That’s why he hasn’t been in. He’s still recovering.” 

Yongsun sucks in a sharp breath, staring at Wooyoung with wide eyes. “He was attacked? By who?” 

The mermaid shakes his head. “That’s the thing. I don’t know. I didn’t recognize the vampire at all, and I know pretty much everyone in your clan. I think.”

“What happened to him?” 

“The vampire?” 

“No, San. You said he’s recovering, but a vampire bite shouldn’t take so long to recover from.” 

Wooyoung grimaces, lips parting to show his teeth. “Ah. Well that’s the thing. The vampire really hurt him. It’s worse than just a vampire bite unfortunately.” 

Yongsun’s nostrils flare as her pretty red lips pull down into a frown. “And the vampire? What did you do with him.” 

“He—I killed him.” Despite the stumble, Wooyoung manages to lie seamlessly. It’s probably better if he takes the blame for it anyways. Who would believe an average human would not only survive that encounter, but kill the vampire in the process too? 

She breathes in deeply and then releases it. “Good,” she says. “What of his body? I’d like to investigate if you don’t mind.” 

Wooyoung shakes his head. “I just kind of left him there. I had to take care of San, and by the time I remembered the sun had come up.” 

She sighs, crossing her arms over his chest. “That’s too bad,” she remarks. “But don’t worry too much about it. Everyone in my clan is fine, and I would have definitely heard by now if someone was missing from one of the others. You probably killed the rogue.” 

Wooyoung releases his breath, holding a hand to his chest in relief. “I’m sorry. I should have let someone know sooner, but I was worried…” 

“I understand. The situation seems unusual in this case.” She smiles at him. “Thanks for letting me know. I’ll look into it for you, so don’t worry.” 

Wooyoung tilts his head down with a grateful smile. “Thank you.” 

“Of course. Pass along my regards to San when you have a chance.” 

Yongsun leaves after that, and as the night continues the crowd in the bar thins as their closing time draws near. San hasn’t called, so Wooyoung assumes that the human is okay. He’s probably sleeping right now. The mermaid figures he can make it to closing in that case. There’s still quite a few people hanging around for late night drinks, but the bar is growing quieter than it was during the dinner rush. 

Wooyoung is still moving back and forth behind the bar, fulfilling drink orders to pass along to the fae girl who brings them out to the customer. Wooyoung watches her go with narrowed eyes, making sure she doesn’t try to spike it before it reaches the customer. He doesn’t know what he’d been thinking when he hired her to serve of all things before remembering all the mischief she could cause doing almost anything else. At least as a server, eyes were almost always on her. 

His attention is broken when someone comes up to the bar, taking the seat right in front of Wooyoung. The mermaid looks over to him, staring at the man before him. He’s tall, a similar height to Mingi, and he looks handsome dressed in a dark turtleneck and a soft brown overcoat. Wooyoung quickly raises his gaze back up to the man’s face. He’s handsome in a cute way, floppy brown hair falling into his eyes. The mermaid cocks his head to the side, squinting at the customer. Werewolf? Wooyoung surmises. He doesn’t recognize him, though. 

The werewolf stares him down as well, eyes trailing down to the mermaid’s hands, his purple iridescent scales showing through on the back of his hands thanks to the wet rag he’s constantly been using to wipe down the counter. Wooyoung quickly pulls his hands away, letting them drop to his sides to hide the scales. He isn’t exactly sure why; it’s not entirely unusual for their kind to try and feel each other out like this. 

“Can I get you something?” Wooyoung asks with a forced smile. 

The werewolf seems to think about it for a moment, lifting his gaze up to meet Wooyoung’s. “Are you Jung Wooyoung?” 

The mermaid’s smile briefly falters then. He eyes the werewolf up and down warily. “Do I know you?” he asks. Wooyoung doesn’t recognize the werewolf at all, but he scratches at his head, wondering if he might be a part of Mingi’s pack. 

“You’re friends with Yeosang, aren’t you?” the werewolf continues, sliding his hands into the pockets of his coat. Wooyoung blinks at the question, unsure if he should be on guard or not. “He mentioned having a mermaid friend out here. Owns a bar.” The werewolf looks at Wooyoung pointedly. “Is that you?” 

“We’re...old acquaintances,” the mermaid says carefully. “What’s it to you?” 

The werewolf drops his gaze to his lap, thinking over something for a moment, before he finally pulls his hand out of his pocket. Wooyoung watches curiously as the werewolf pulls his phone out, sifting through its contents before he sets it down on the counter in front of Wooyoung. He turns it to face the mermaid before sliding it over. “I’m looking for him.” 

Wooyoung frowns at the werewolf. What, is he some kind of detective? With a sigh, Wooyoung reaches for the phone. It’s not like he’s entirely unused to people coming to him with questions. Yongsun had just been in a few hours earlier for the same reason. A lot of gossip is spilled within these walls, and Wooyoung is privy to most of it. However, the mermaid freezes up when his eyes land on the picture the werewolf hands him on his phone. 

He could recognize his new hire anywhere. Even with the blond hair, Wooyoung can tell that the person he’s looking at is San. More than that, he’s a little alarmed by the rather intimate quality of the picture. It’s not scandalous by any means—just an image of the human smiling at the camera, holding the collar of his oversized shirt over his mouth—but it doesn’t look like it was taken anywhere public. 

Curiously, Wooyoung tries to back out of the photo, scrolling through the werewolf’s camera roll for only a few seconds before he reaches out to take his phone back. The mermaid drops his hands back to his sides, staring blankly at the werewolf who clears his throat awkwardly, setting his phone screen down on the counter. Wooyoung hadn’t gotten a good look, but he’s fairly certain he saw more than just one photo of San on there. 

“Who are you?” he asks the werewolf. “Why are you looking for him?” 

“You know him?” 

“I didn’t say that,” Wooyoung sniffs, wiping his hands off on his apron. “Just wondering what you’re doing all the way out here looking for someone is all. There’s only one pack who lives just outside of this city, and I don’t recognize you as one of them.”

“I’m not from that pack,” he confirms. “My name is Yunho.” 

“Okay, Yunho,” Wooyoung says, testing out the werewolf’s name. “Who exactly is this person you’re looking for, and what makes you think he’s somewhere around here?” 

The werewolf narrows his eyes at him, clearly unsure if he finds Wooyoung suspicious or not. The mermaid maintains his nonchalance, though, because he’s equally suspicious of the werewolf. San gets attacked and then an unknown werewolf just comes swinging by to try and find him? No. Wooyoung doesn’t buy it. 

However, a voice in the back of his mind reminds him of the very real fact that he knows San knew a werewolf. As much as he tries to avoid the topic, Wooyoung knows this much about him. What he doesn’t know is what kind of relationship the human had had with this werewolf. Based on his interactions with Mingi, he seemed to at least be curious about and cordial to them, but he was also a hunter not too long ago. So, did he have a good or bad relationship with him? And is this person, Yunho, that werewolf? 

“He’s…” Yunho seems at a loss of words trying to describe his relationship with the human. “He’s just someone I know. I have reason to think he’s been in contact with Yeosang, so I figured I would just ask some of his friends. You are his friend, aren’t you?” 

Wooyoung frowns at the werewolf’s lame answer. Someone he knows? Just someone he knows? What the hell is Wooyoung supposed to make of that answer? “Yeah, I know Yeosang. He comes around every once in a while to say hello and pretend he cares about my feelings, but I don’t know anything about his relationship with whoever that is. Why don’t you ask him?” 

“He won’t tell me,” Yunho answers with a frown. Wooyoung frowns, storing that little tidbit of information in the back of his mind for later. He’d have to ask Yeosang about it. “So do you know anything or not?” he asks. 

“Hm.” Wooyoung reaches out for the phone again, but the werewolf slaps his hand over it before he can even touch it. “Well, how should I know if you don’t tell me anything else about this person? All I’ve heard is that he’s someone important to you and what he looks like, but I don’t know you so how can I help?” He squints at the werewolf. “What is he? A run away pack mate or something?” 

“What? No! God, no.” Yunho traces his fingers down the back of his phone. “He’s...a human.” 

Wooyoung pulls back from him, feigning his own surprise. “A human?” he asks. “Why would you be looking for a human?” 

“Do you need to know that?” Yunho asks. 

“I suppose not,” Wooyoung acknowledges while trying to think of another way to extract the information from the werewolf. He still can’t tell if this guy is a friend or enemy. “How come you don’t want to tell me?” 

“It’s personal,” Yunho says vaguely. 

“Ah. You got to teach him a lesson, huh?” Wooyoung tries to goad him. 

It appears to do the trick because the werewolf’s gaze hardens, and his jawline tightens. “No,” he finally answers in a tone that Wooyoung immediately knows to back down from. 

Still, the mermaid keeps his mouth shut about San. “Well, I’ll keep my ears open for any information for you.” 

Yunho appears disappointed, but he nods his head in acceptance. “Thanks.” He slides off the stool then, smiling thinly towards the mermaid before he turns to leave. Wooyoung watches him go, only realizing that he didn’t even order anything until after he’s gone. The mermaid’s lips curl up in annoyance, grumbling under his breath as he curses the werewolf. Who the hell was he anyways? 

  
  
  
  


Seonghwa rips off the wristband from the bar he’d been at. No luck there either. He’d been backtracking all of the fae’s previous locations, but he hasn’t had much luck in finding him since he started. He curses himself for allowing the fae to go unchecked for so long. Had he lost his trail as well? Maybe the fae had already packed up and moved on. Seonghwa knows it’s entirely possible in which case he might be back to square one all over again. The one lead he might have on San gone just like that. 

Yunho didn’t appear to be involved at all in Seonghwa’s opinion, but perhaps he needed to use the werewolf to get to the fae. The two seemed to be friends or, at the very least, acquaintances. However he hasn’t been keeping much of a close eye on the werewolf either. Damn. The hunter prayed the werewolf would still be easy to track down at the very least. 

He’s going through a mental list of his next steps—what other places could he check for the fae? Where might he be able to find Yunho if the werewolf had actually quit his job?—when the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stand on edge. Reacting purely on instinct, Seonghwa’s hands drop down to his belt, yanking a knife from it just as he feels a body crash into his own. 

His opponent is light, surprisingly so, and Seonghwa reaches around to flip their position. His attacker clings to him tightly, one arm wrapped across Seonghwa’s throat while his other holds onto the hunter’s wrist, struggling to keep the knife from getting too close. “I’ll bite you,” his attacker threatens. 

Seonghwa temporarily falters because he recognizes the voice. Hongjoong. His hesitation lasts for only a split second before his fingers curl tighter around the handle of his knife. “Ah, just who I was looking for.” Moving his free hand from the fae’s arm, he reaches backwards, grabbing Hongjoong by the hair and pulling hard. The fae hisses in pain, allowing Seonghwa the opportunity to swing him around. He attempts to back the fae up against the wall, holding his knife out against his throat, but the fae manages to twist himself enough to avoid getting pinned. Instead he pins Seonghwa’s hand holding the knife against the wall, his skin scraping across the brick. 

The hunter barely notices the slight injury. He kicks out with a leg, trying to catch Hongjoong’s ankle to trip him, but the fae jumps away. “Listen, I’m here to talk,” Hongjoong says, pressing harder against Seonghwa’s pinned hand. He glances over to the knife, watching as the hunter’s grip begins to weaken even as he strains against Hongjoong’s hold. 

“Hah. Talk? This time _you_ attacked _me_ ,” the hunter snorts. 

“Well, I’ve learned that this is clearly the only way you’re capable of communicating.” Hongjoong’s gaze continues to move back and forth between the hunter’s face and the blade in his hand. He won’t let it go, but his hold seems to be getting weaker and weaker. Impatiently, the fae reaches out with his free hand to smack the weapon away, blade clattering on the ground as it hits the pavement. 

Seonghwa seizes the opening, free hand reaching up to wrap around the fae’s throat. He holds him just below the chin, keeping the fae from bending his head down to bite him. Hongjoong chokes at the action, trying to pry the hunter’s hand away from him. “Well, since we’re clearly having a talk, I have a few questions for you,” he says, tightening his hold on the fae’s throat. 

Hongjoong digs his nails into Seonghwa’s wrist. “I’ll bite you,” he threatens again. 

“I’m the one in charge here,” Seonghwa barks back at him. 

Narrowing his eyes, Hongjoong regrets not just going for the bite to begin with. He had the advantage of a surprise attack, but he hadn’t thought it would be necessary. Who was he kidding though? Since when were hunters ever reasonable? He goes just the slightest bit lax in Seonghwa’s grip, and the hunter responds immediately and precisely as Hongjoong would predict. He maneuvers the fae around to pin him to the wall. 

Hongjoong allows him to do it, biding his time for the hunter to show another window of opportunity. “You fight dirty,” he remarks. 

“Rich coming from someone who snuck up on me,” Seonghwa retorts, narrowing his eyes at the fae. “You don’t fight like a typical fairy.”

“That’s because I’m not one,” Hongjoong replies airily. 

“What do you want?” Seonghwa demands. 

“I could ask you the same thing,” Hongjoong bites back. “You’ve been looking for me, haven’t you?” 

Seonghwa frowns, hating that the fae has a point. “I have a few questions for you,” he admits. 

“Good,” Hongjoong grins. “Then it sounds like we both need each other.” Seonghwa presses the fae harder against the wall, holding him tight up against it, but Hongjoong doesn’t mind. He can see that the human wants to say something, the anger boiling up inside of him and in danger of spilling over. “How about we have a talk? Hm? What do you say?” 

“I’ll admit there’s something I need from you, but there’s nothing I plan to give you,” the hunter finally bites out. 

Hongjoong only grins at his stubbornness. It’s something about the hunter he can appreciate at least. “Is that so?” he challenges. 

“It is—” The hunter’s words cut off into a gasp when Hongjoong manages to grab hold of one of Seonghwa’s arms and pulls it up. Instead of fighting like the hunter expects, however, Hongjoong bites into the human’s arm. 

Seonghwa jerks back, his free hand coming up to push at Hongjoong’s head. The fae had bitten into his jacket. The leather is too thick for him to bite all the way through, but the action is enough to alarm the hunter. He can’t afford to be bitten right now. Fae poison would take way too long to wear off. Hongjoong doesn’t let up, though, either desperately trying to sink his teeth in through the fabric or hold the hunter there. 

Seonghwa leans forward to press his forearm across Hongjoong’s chest. Then he pushes the fae back, knocking him against the wall again, but Hongjoong quickly pushes himself off the wall, lunging for the human. Seonghwa catches him with a grunt, hands coming up to grab the fae by the waist. He tries to use Hongjoong’s momentum against him to swing him around, but the fae latches on tight, clawing his way towards Seonghwa’s neck and desperately sinking his teeth in there. 

The hunter yelps, finally managing to throw him to the ground, but it’s too late by then. Seonghwa stumbles back a few steps, vision already blurring. Hongjoong hops to his feet, reaching out to grab the human as he falls back onto his ass. 

“You bit me,” Seonghwa accuses. 

“You were being annoying,” Hongjoong says with a small little shrug, holding the human upright by his arms. “I hate to admit it, but in this case we’re both on the same side, so just trust me. If I wanted to hurt or kill you I would have done so by now.” Seonghwa’s breathing becomes labored, his pupils dilating as he scans his surroundings in paranoia. Hongjoong keeps going though, knowing that the hunter can still hear him. “Unfortunately I need your help, so count your lucky stars that I’m actually resorting to working with a hunter for once. Otherwise I’d kill you.” 

“I wish you would,” Seonghwa spits back at him. 

Hongjoong smacks him on the cheek, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to focus his attention back on the fae. “Too bad. You still have a role to play for me. Sleep if you want. We’re going to go meet a friend of mine, but you’ll need to be sobered for that conversation.” 

Seonghwa shakes his head, adamantly refusing the fae’s suggestion. Hongjoong shrugs, not bothered either way as he forcefully hauls the human to his feet. Wrapping one of the hunter’s arm over his shoulders, Hongjoong wraps his hand around the hunter’s waist to help stabilize him, using his hold to help guide Seonghwa forward. Despite his own resolve, Seonghwa only makes it a few steps before the poison really kicks in and he blacks out. 

  
  
  
  


When Seonghwa finally comes to, the first thing he notes is that he’s lying down on a couch. He doesn’t need to open his eyes to know that. The body is slim compared to a bed, but more telling than anything is the way the arm rest makes his neck sore. He squints his eyes open, not at all surprised that he doesn’t recognize his surroundings. Figures. 

“This was your plan?” he hears someone ask. 

There’s a small pause of silence before Seonghwa recognizes Hongjoong’s voice. “I mean, if it works.” 

“You brought a _hunter_ to my _residence_.” 

“I brought you a hunter intoxicated on fae poison to your residence,” Hongjoong corrects Yeosang. “Those are less dangerous.” 

Yeosang makes a frustrated noise in the back of his throat, lifting his hands up like he wants to strangle the fae in front of him. “There’s still the very real fact that there is a _hunter_ in my living room. This was the plan you came up with? Seriously?” 

Hongjoong crosses his arms over his chest and looks away. Was this his brightest moment? No, probably not, but Hongjoong was working with limited time and limited options. “Well, if he gets frisky I can just bite him again,” he suggests, frowning when Yeosang throws a little fit at him. “What? What am I supposed to do? You can’t tell me anything, right? But you could tell him everything you know, can’t you?” He points to the hunter still lying prone on the couch. “I’m running out of time, and it’s not like I have any other options available to me. Besides we’re on the same side.” 

Yeosang balks at the suggestion. “Same side?” he repeats, pointing at the fae. “You’re on the same side as a hunter?” 

“In this case,” Hongjoong sniffs. He’s not exactly proud or happy about it, but it’s the truth. “I want to locate San before Yunho, and he’s looking for him. Therefore we’re on the same side, are we not?” 

Seonghwa finally forces his sluggish body to move, rolling himself over and off the couch. The warlock and fae both startle when he hits the ground with a thump, but neither of them move to help. “What’s this?” the hunter asks as he forces himself up onto his hands and knees. God, fae poison is annoying. “You want to find San too?” Seonghwa looks up to glare at Hongjoong. 

“Don’t get me wrong,” the fae says with a little laugh. “I have no intention of hurting your little hunting partner. However, it is in _my_ best interest that _you_ find him first.” 

“Before Yunho?” he clarifies. “Is he going to hurt San?” 

Hongjoong and Yeosang exchange a look with each other. “It’s unlikely,” the warlock finally answers. “No, he won’t actually. I know he wouldn’t, but we think it best he not involve himself in hunter affairs anymore.” 

Seonghwa struggles onto his feet, taking a moment to steady himself as his stomach lurches and coils. “So, you’ll help me find him then? My partner?” 

The warlock threads his fingers together, resting his hands over his stomach. “Maybe,” he relents.

Seonghwa’s gaze slides over to Hongjoong, and the fae meets his stare head on. “I told you we’re on the same side,” Hongjoong says. “You want to find your friend, and, right now, so do I.” He tilts his head towards the warlock. “This is the guy who helped him run away. He can tell you where to find him, can’t you?” 

“That entirely depends on the hunter,” Yeosang corrects, glaring at Hongjoong in annoyance. “You’re putting me in a very difficult position, and I do not appreciate it,” he hisses in a lower voice, glancing over to the hunter who’s watching them closely. 

“Me?” Hongjoong asks, pointing to himself. “I’m putting you in a bad position. Look at what _you_ did. If you didn’t want to be a part of this you shouldn’t have helped a hunter to begin with!” Yeosang sucks in a sharp breath through his nose, jawline tightening as he clenches his teeth together. “Think about Yunho,” the fae pleads. 

Releasing his breath, Yeosang shoots the fae one last reproachful look before approaching the hunter. “Yunho is your pack, not mine. I’m more concerned about San.” 

Seonghwa perks up at his statement at the same time Hongjoong sputters. “What did you say?” the fae demands. 

“I meant what I said,” Yeosang declares before turning to face Seonghwa again. The hunter and warlock study each other, each trying to gauge and feel the other out. Hongjoong huffs behind them, puffing his chest out as he glares at both of them. 

“You say you’re concerned for San?” Seonghwa finally asks.

Yeosang folds his arms over his chest. “I have an obligation I’d say I need to see fulfilled,” he answers vaguely. 

“To a hunter?” 

“To San,” Yeosang clarifies. 

Seonghwa frowns, unable to get a read on the warlock. “Why?” 

“None of your business,” Yeosang dismisses, squinting at the hunter as he eyes him up and down. “The real question is whether or not I can trust you.” 

Seonghwa scoffs at the warlock's words. His hand moves down to his pocket where he would usually keep his knife. “I can force it out of you if I want,” he threatens even though he’s not at all surprised to find himself unarmed. Figures. 

“You can’t,” Hongjoong pipes up from behind the warlock, shaking his head at the way the hunter checks his person for any weapon. Of course there are none. “Even if you had him tied down and tortured you wouldn’t get anything from him. Your annoying friend bound him with a contract.” 

“San did?” 

“I’m afraid so,” Yeosang confirms. “San forbid me from saying anything to Yunho or Hongjoong. The only other stipulation was simply not to compromise him.” 

Seonghwa takes a moment to process the warlock’s words, gaze moving over his shoulder to look at the fae who stares back at him impatiently. So is this what Hongjoong had meant by them needing each other? “So, you’re saying you can tell me then?” he clarifies. 

“I don’t know. Can I?” 

Seonghwa blinks, thoroughly annoyed and confused by Yeosang’s constant contradictions and lack of clarity. “He’s my partner,” he explains, splaying his fingers over his chest. “I’m not trying to hurt him.” 

“That I can believe,” Yeosang assures him, tapping his fingers against the crease of his elbow. “But does that necessarily mean no harm will come to him if I tell you where to find him? Why are you tracking him down? Out of the goodness of your heart because he’s your partner? Or because you’re obligated to?” 

Seonghwa swallows thickly at the accusation, his mind automatically thinking of Haneul’s words. His father would be furious if he were to bring San back. Yeosang tilts his head at the hunter’s silence, peering at the human’s varying expressions. “Your resolve is shaky,” he notes. “Are you sure you’re in the right occupation?” 

Annoyed, Seonghwa glares at Hongjoong from over the warlock’s shoulders. “Undoubtedly,” he answers with confidence. Yeosang sighs while Hongjoong presses his palm to his face. This had been a pointless endeavor in the end. “That doesn’t have anything to do with me wanting to find San, though,” Seonghwa clarifies. “His family _will_ hunt him down one way or another. I just figure if I can do it first…” he trails off. 

“If you find him first...what?” Yeosang prompts. 

“I don’t know,” he says truthfully. “But I won’t put him in danger.” 

Yeosang hums to himself, unfolding his arms as he mulls over the human’s words. Hongjoong reaches out for him, tugging on his elbow in a silent question. Will this work? Yeosang presses his lips together in a thin line, still uncertain about if he’s fully onboard with Hongjoong’s stupid plan. Perhaps his best option is to simply relocate San again, keep him away from everyone. But then there’s Yunho to consider—moving him wouldn’t stop the werewolf. It would just make things more difficult for him. Not just him either. Yeosang knows hunters—he knows _these_ hunters in particular quite well—they would not give up either, and he has a feeling it will only be a matter of time before either of them find San. A werewolf and a clan of hunters. It’s only a matter of time before one of them picks up on San’s trail.

Would he be better off throwing his support in with Seonghwa? Or should he leave it up to Yunho to find his ex first? Should he keep San moving instead? Yeosang is most frustrated at how easily this had fallen apart, and he wants to laugh at San’s naivety. Going into hiding is hard when there’s too many determined people out to find you. Granted, Yeosang wonders where Seonghwa would be if Hongjoong hadn’t dragged him here like an idiot. 

“Just tell him,” Hongjoong encourages, tugging impatiently on Yeosang’s arm. “Your contract doesn’t obligate you to take care of him.” 

“I don’t need to be contractually obligated to take care of him in this case.” He pulls his arm out of the fae’s hold as the corner of his lips pull down into a frown. “I know you said Yunho is your concern, and I understand that, but I’m telling you that San is _my_ concern.” 

Hongjoong’s expression sours, and he glances to the hunter, hoping Seonghwa will say something to convince him, but the hunter just stares at Yeosang with an unreadable expression on his face. “Then we’re on the same side!” he insists. “I want to protect Yunho, and you want to protect San, right? So we have the same goal.” He glances over to Seonghwa. “We just need him to help us both accomplish that goal.” 

Yeosang side eyes the fae. “I’m not sure _I'll_ accomplish my goal that way.” His gaze moves over to Seonghwa, eyes full of suspicion. 

“Are you that warlock?” Seonghwa blurts out. 

Yeosang blinks. “Excuse me?” he responds. 

“San’s mother,” the hunter says, watching the way Yeosang tenses up at the mention of her, “I heard she hired the services of a warlock. He was friends with an Ifrit.”

Yeosang’s lips part in shock, gaping at Seonghwa. “How do you know all that?” 

“So it was you?” Seonghwa asks. 

“What?” Hongjoong jumps in, stepping around the warlock to stare at him. “You worked for his family? You _know_ him?” 

“It was a long time ago,” Yeosang defends. 

“Is that why?” Seonghwa asks. “Is that why you’re so protective of him?” Yeosang releases an audible breath through his nose, planting his hands on his hips. “I don’t know what exactly I’d do, but I’m not trying to bring harm to him.” 

Yeosang sighs, running his fingers through his hair. “I left him with a close friend of mine,” he blurts out before slapping a hand over his mouth. He’s shocked he even manages to say it. It must be testament to Seonghwa’s resolve. 

“Who?” Hongjoong demands. 

“A mermaid,” Yeosang details, twisting his fingers into his shirt nervously. “To the east of here. That’s where I relocated him.” He lifts his gaze up to look at Seonghwa before turning his head to look back at Hongjoong. “Neither you nor Yunho knows him, but if he tracked down some of my other friends, I’m sure his name came up by now.”

Hongjoong’s gaze snaps towards Seonghwa, and the hunter stares right back at him. “We know where to go,” the fae says. 

“There’s something you should know,” Yeosang says quickly, drawing Seonghwa’s attention back to him. The warlock bites into his bottom lip and hesitates, suddenly unsure of if he should finish his train of thoughts. “Whatever you might think, he left because being a hunter didn’t suit him. Not in the way that family conducts their business. Maybe you should consider leaving him alone.” 

Seonghwa narrows his eyes at him, jawline tightening. “I know my partner,” he grits out.

“Do you?” Yeosang challenges, squaring his shoulders stubbornly. “Yunho might have been the tipping point for him, but he would have done the same thing sooner or later.” 

“Oh? Because you know him so well?” 

“Because I watched him grow up,” Yeosang bites out. “Running around killing whatever crosses your path might work for _you_ , but San knows better.” He briefly glances at Hongjoong before meeting the hunter’s eyes again. “Not all of us are worth killing.” 

“Whatever,” Seonghwa dismisses him, stalking over to Hongjoong who backs up a few steps when the human approaches him. “Where are my weapons?” he demands. 

“You’re kidding,” Hongjoong scoffs. “Like I’m going anywhere with you armed.” 

“We’re on the same side,” Seonghwa reminds him. “Help me find San first and then you can worry about me hunting you after.” 

The fae sneers at him. “Gee, what a proposition.” 

  
  
  
  


San’s hands tremble uncontrollably as he reaches out to take the cup of water Wooyoung had offered him. The mermaid watches with concern when water sloshes out over the lip of the cup. San’s finally moving about more and more, and he’s been eager to go back to work although Wooyoung has refused to let him back into the bar. The most he had suggested was for the human to go back to his own place. San had gone so pale at the thought initially that Wooyoung quickly walked back the statement even though San had ultimately agreed that he should probably spend his time recovering at his own apartment. 

“If you don’t feel safe don’t go home,” Wooyoung told him. 

“Yeosang completely warded the apartment. I’d be safe there,” San reasoned even as he was certain he’d stay here if Wooyoung allowed him. 

The mermaid hadn’t pushed the subject after that, more than happy to have San where he can keep an eye on him. He’s especially grateful that the human listened to him now that he can see the kind of state San seems to be in. “Are you okay?” Wooyoung asks. He might have made a joke about how San must not have been used to a hunt despite being a hunter, but something about that just seems too inappropriate at the moment. Wooyoung can tell just how much this experience must have shaken him. 

San sighs, setting the cup back down on the table with an audible thump. He places his other hand on top of the one holding the cup, using it to steady the tremble in his hand. “I’m okay,” San says with a dry laugh. “I just think maybe I need to go back to work. Keep my mind occupied on other things.”

“Next week,” Wooyoung says, leaving no room for argument as he passes along a plate of cut up fruit. He’d needed something to do with his hands. “Yeosang says it’ll be okay next week.”

“I don’t get why we’re following his word like it’s law,” San complains, reaching out to grab a sliced apple instead. His hands still tremble a little, though without liquid sloshing around everywhere it’s less noticeable. “He’s not a real doctor.” 

“He might as well be,” the mermaid retorts. “If it weren’t for him, you’d—” he stops himself there, looking down at his nails. 

“Speaking of,” San says, grasping his cup with two hands and squeezing tightly to minimize the shaking. “I never did thank you.” 

Wooyoung stares at him, playing with the paring knife in his hand. He twirls it around in his hand in his hands, the blade sometimes digging into his skin, but it’s never enough to break it, the scales hiding underneath the human disguise enough to repel any damage. “Thank me?” he repeats, stumped by the human’s sentiment. “For what?” 

San peers up at the mermaid from where he’s bent down to take a sip of his water. “Uh. For saving me,” he reminds Wooyoung. “I would have died if you hadn’t been nearby, so thanks. For being pushy about it and everything. I should definitely listen to you next time.” 

“That…” Wooyoung trails off, staring at San like he’s never seen the hunter before. “What do you mean? _You_ killed that fucker on your own. I never thought I’d tell someone how glad I was that they were trained as a hunter, but, truly, I’m thankful that you were. Most humans would be dead if they’d been in your position.” 

Breathing in deep, San pulls away from the cup he’d been hunched over. Wooyoung bites down on his bottom lip, consciously forcing himself to stop playing with the knife when he drops it down on top of the table. Maybe he shouldn’t have brought it up. They haven’t talked about it much since, and Wooyoung regrets mentioning it now because San still doesn’t seem comfortable talking about it. 

He has half a mind to take back his own statement, tell San to forget about it and just quietly accept the human’s gratitude, but he doesn’t get the chance to. “I still would have died if you hadn’t been there,” San tells him, running his fingers along the side of his cup. “I know what kind of state I was in after that fight. I probably would have died if you hadn’t been there.” 

Wooyoung releases the hold on his breath, glad that San hadn’t brought up the actual killing of the vampire. “Well, you’re welcome,” he says, rubbing at the back of his neck. “I hope this means that from now on you actually listen to me and trust me.” 

“I will,” San insists with a little sniff, reaching out to grab another slice of fruit. 

“So, you’ll let me walk you home from now on?” Wooyoung asks. San nods his head, taking a bite of a peach slice. “No more complaints?” San nods his head more furiously this time. 

Grinning, Wooyoung settles back into his seat, satisfied with San’s change of opinion. It only took a near death experience for him to finally change his mind. 

“Can I at least come and just hang out at the bar?” San whines. “I don’t have to work, but I’m bored out of my mind.” 

“You can’t work because you’re supposed to be resting,” Wooyoung scolds him. “So rest.” 

San leans back into his chair, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling. “I don’t want to rest. I want to do something,” he complains. 

“Resting is something—” 

“No it’s not!” San says, flailing his limbs in a pathetic display of childish rebellion. 

“Next week,” Wooyoung insists. “Look, if you rest now you’ll be able to come back sooner, right? Isn’t that much better in that case? All the regulars miss you.” Ther mermaid frowns when he suddenly remembers the werewolf who had come in recently to ask about San. He came back a few days after the first time, asking again about the human, but Wooyoung had continued to play dumb. He figured that the wolf would eventually move on. 

“Ugh. Fine!” San gives in. It’s not like Wooyoung will let him in anyways. 

“I’ll walk you back to your place on my way in,” Wooyoung offers. “Maybe you’ll be less bored there.” It was probably time for San to head home anyways. 

“Yeah, sure,” he agrees. Yeosang said he wanted to come by for one more check up anyways. San wonders how hard it might be to convince the warlock to stay for the night. Or maybe until he at least falls asleep? Maybe he should have worked on his relationship with the warlock. 

Wooyoung wonders if he should mention it to San. The werewolf. He hadn’t quite been able to grasp what Yunho wanted with San. Maybe the human could shed some light on it instead. “You know,” he says to grab the human’s attention. San looks up to him, eyebrows raised in curiosity. Wooyoung hesitates, uncertain if he should proceed. “I just wanted to remind you to take care of yourself first,” he says in lieu of anything better. “You should always be your first priority.” 

San laughs a little humorlessly at the sentiment, nodding his head and licking his lips. “You’re right,” he agrees, his voice filled with bitterness. “Put myself first. Screw everyone else, right?” 

“Well, maybe not everyone,” Wooyoung quickly walks back his statement, holding his hand out to stop San’s train of thought. “I’m important, right? Me? Your boss. Your best friend.” He pats himself on his chest with each reminder to emphasize to San to think about him. “You, then me, then screw everyone else, right?” 

San laughs at him, genuine this time, covering his mouth with a hand. “My boss? That sounds right, but when did we become best friends?” 

Wooyoung scrambles out of his seat to stand up, pointing a finger down at the human. “Since I hired you despite the fact that you’re a hunter. We’ve been in an...unofficial blood pack since. I won’t let you say that we aren’t friends!” 

San laughs again, hunching over the table as he clutches at his stomach. “Okay. Me, you, then screw everyone else,” he agrees. 

Smiling, Wooyoung drops back into his seat, arms crossed over his chest triumphantly. “Good,” he sighs with a little nod of his head. He’s glad he hadn’t brought up the werewolf in the end. It just would have been a distraction. 

  
  
  
  


“Clear me for work,” San chants like a mantra, completely ignoring how obviously annoyed Yeosang is with him. 

“Shut up,” Yeosang scolds him, gently pressing his palms against San’s chest to feel him over. “Do you really like working at Wooyoung’s bar that much?” 

San shrugs, dropping his shirt when Yeosang pulls his hands away from his body. “It’s pretty good. Wooyoung’s really nosy, but he’s not so bad, and the customers aren’t so bad either.” 

“But you work a night shift,” Yeosang points out, wiping his hands down on his pants before he seats himself on San’s bed. “I thought you were uncomfortable with that?” 

“I was,” the human agrees. “It’s not so bad anymore.” 

Yeosang digs his teeth into his bottom lip, trying to hold back his annoyance. “Not so bad?” he repeats, peering up at the human. “Is everything just ‘not so bad’ for you? San, you were very nearly killed by a vampire on your way back from work.” 

San sucks in a breath, sliding his hands into his front pockets. “Well, it seems like it’s a very uncommon occurrence here. And I survived. I mean…” He turns towards his closet, digging through the dresser to find something to wear for work. It’s been so long, San doesn’t even know what to put on. He used to have a rotation of work acceptable clothes. 

“What do you think about going somewhere else? Further away?” the warlock suggests. 

San twists his upper body around to face the warlock, eyebrows knitted together and his hands holding up a black button up to his chest. “Go somewhere further away?” San questions. “Why?” 

“You were attacked!” Yeosang reminds him like it’s the obvious answer. “And people are looking for you.” 

“I used the magic of a great warlock to hide,” San declares, wheezing when he wanders a little too close to the warlock, and Yeosang reaches out to punch him in the stomach. It’s not hard, but it’s enough to force the human to keel over. “It’ll take my family ages to find me,” he finishes breathlessly. 

“Sure unless an idiot gives you away,” Yeosang mutters into his fingers. 

“Huh?” San asks. “I didn’t catch that.” 

“Nothing,” Yeosang says louder, biting down on his thumb when San turns back to his drawer to find a pair of work pants to go with his shirt. The warlock brings his hand up to knock his fist against his forehead. He should have never thrown his lot in with either side. Why did he even say anything to the hunter? He blames the pressure Hongjoong’s been putting him under although it does little to relieve the guilt. 

“Yunho is looking for you,” he says, staring at San’s back to gauge his reaction. The human visibly freezes, hands dug deep into one of his drawers. “It’s not just hunters.” 

Slowly, San pulls out a pair of dark wash jeans before closing it. He’s quiet as he smooths his hands over the jeans. “Are you serious?” he finally asks. 

“Yes. Unfortunately.” 

San turns to face him. “Why...why on earth would he be doing that? I thought you couldn’t tell him anything.” 

“I can’t,” Yeosang assures him. “And I didn’t. That doesn’t mean he didn’t interrogate me. I’m worried that if he knows where to look it’ll only be a matter of time until he finds you.” 

San licks his lips. “That still doesn’t explain why he would do that.” Yunho probably isn’t out to hurt him, right? San shakes off the thought almost as soon as it registers in his mind. Yunho wouldn’t be looking for him in the first place anyways. Yunho had clearly told San to stay out of his business. He wanted nothing to do with the hunter. Why on earth would he go out of his way to look for San then? 

“He’s scared hunters will find you first,” Yeosang tells him. 

San rolls his eyes at that, turning away to change his clothes, completely unbothered by the fact that Yeosang is just hanging out on his bed. He pulls his t-shirt over his head before slipping into the button up shirt. “What, are you friends with him or something?” 

“Something to that effect,” Yeosang mutters. 

“Well tell him that he should stay out of my business when you see him again,” San tells him as he finishes buttoning up his shirt. 

Yeosang sighs at the petty tone in the human’s voice. “San, I just think we’d be better off moving you again.” 

“Why?” San asks. “Because of Yunho? He hasn’t found me yet, has he?” 

“He’s a werewolf,” Yeosang reminds him. “If he catches your scent it’ll only be a matter of time until he does.” 

“I’m not scared of a werewolf,” San mutters petulantly, shaking out his work pants. 

Yeosang politely turns his gaze away when San changes his pants. “I don’t think you need to be scared of him either. I just think it’s best that you remain hidden. He could ruin that for you.” 

San turns to look at Yeosang over his shoulder. “You know, I know the two of us have a contract, but technically you already fulfilled your half of the bargain. You just have to maintain the secrecy, no?” The warlock twirls a strand of his hair around his finger, trying to look innocent. “You don’t have to move me.” 

“No,” Yeosang acknowledges. “But I’m being nice by offering, aren’t I?” 

San turns fully to face him. “Why?” he asks. “I thought you tried not to associate with hunters.” 

Yeosang purses his lips up into a sour expression, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’re not a hunter anymore,” he argues. 

San throws his head back and laughs like it’s the funniest joke he’s heard. “I was just wondering. It seems out of character for you is all,” he tells the warlock. 

“Well, it’s because—” 

“No, no,” San waves his hand at Yeosang to stop him. “Please don’t say something about how we’re friends or something now. Woooyoung says it all the time. It’s weird.” 

“That he’s your best friend?” 

“Yeah.” 

Yeosang smiles and holds back a laugh. “It’s not hard. Pretty much everyone he likes is his best friend. But a human? I never saw that one coming to be fair.” 

“Well, I never thought a mermaid would grow so fond of me either,” San tells him. “Or a warlock.” Yeosang looks away when San stares at him pointedly. Then again, he also never thought he’d date a werewolf either, although San wonders if it counts when Yunho broke up with him immediately after he found out. Maybe werewolves weren’t so fond of him. “Anyways, am I cleared for work or not?” 

Yeosang lets out a loud sigh, pushing himself up from the bed. “Yes. You can go back to work if you want.” 

“Yes!” San throws his arms up in celebration. 

“I’ll walk you there and then head home,” Yeosang offers.

San’s arms drop down to his side, a pout already forming on his lips. “Okay,” he agrees, not willing to put up a fight this time anyways. He doesn’t really want to walk there on his own anyways. 

“Good.” Yeosang follows San as the human leaves his room to head for the front door. “And think about my offer. It wouldn’t be too difficult to move you further away.” 

“Okay, sure. I’ll think about it.” San doesn’t know if he’s really all that scared of Yunho though. He doesn’t even know if he really believes the werewolf is even looking for him. 

  
  
  
  


San gives the bar counter one last wipe down before he throws the towel into his sanitation bucket. His first night back had been killer, but San isn’t sure if it’s because he’s not fully recovered or if staying cooped up had just made him extra lazy. “I’m done!” he yells into the empty bar as he grabs his bucket to bring to the back. 

Wooyoung is putting the deposit for the night into an envelope to drop off when San kicks open the back door, walking over to the sink to dump his water out. “Oh? You took longer than normal,” the mermaid notes, slamming the door to their safe shut. 

“Give me a break,” the human complains, leaving his bucket in the sink because nobody ever leaves enough room on the shelf above the sink to put his bucket on. Wooyoung always scolds him for it, but San does it every night without fail. “It’s my first night back. There were a lot of things I forgot.” It was stupidly easy to forget some of the most basic parts of his job. At least when it came to closing. The drink recipes still came to his mind without much problem at least, so that was good. “I had a concussion you know.” 

Sighing, Wooyoung tucks the envelope under his arm as he walks out of the office, closing the door behind him. “Funny how the concussion only seems to affect your closing duties.” 

San scratches behind his ear and shrugs. “What can I say? I guess it was all just stored in a part that got damaged.” 

Making a face, the mermaid reaches out to press his knuckles against San’s forward, pushing him away with a surprising amount of force. “Anyways, if you’re done shall we get going? I’ll walk you back home before I drop this off at the bank.” He waves the envelope in his hand as he makes his way towards the back door. San follows after him with a little hum of agreement, crying out when the door swings back to smack him. “You’re not complaining?” Wooyoung asks, pausing to look over at the human. 

“Well, it was a little bit of an adjustment to work again after being forced to rest for so long, but it wasn’t so bad. What’s there to complain about?” 

Wooyoung taps the money envelope against his shoulders a couple times, cocking his head at San’s answer. “I meant about me walking you home,” he clarifies. 

“Oh.” San clears his throat awkwardly. “Well, I mean, it’s not a big deal, right? I guess my only concern is that now you know where I live.” 

Wooyoung sputters, lifting his envelope in a threatening manner. San shies away from him, holding his hands up as if to protect himself, but he’s laughing. “Why is that a concern?” Wooyoung demands. “Huh? Why? Why? I helped you last time. If anything you should be forever grateful. Imagine if something were to happen you could just tell me that you’re at home, and I’d know exactly where to go.” 

“I know. It’s not like I’m worried that _you_ know in particular,” San assures him. “I’m just worried about people knowing in general.” 

Wooyoung really does smack him with the envelope this time. “Listen, I don’t know how hunters are raised, but out on your own now, you won’t get by solely on yourself. You need to trust people.” San tilts his head, a little smirk on his face. “ _Some_ people,” Wooyoung corrects. “Don’t trust everyone, obviously. But me,” Wooyoung holds the envelope across his chest, “you can trust me.” 

“I can?” San asks skeptically, just to tease his boss a little. 

“Of course!” Wooyoung insists. “I’d trust you with my life, so you should trust me with yours. And on that point I saved your life anyways, remember? You said so yourself.” 

San crosses his arms over his chest, giving the mermaid a once over. “You know, why do you trust me anyways? I was a hunter once. Don’t you think it’s weird to trust me?” 

“Sure if you held a knife to my throat and asked me to trust you,” Wooyoung agrees with a little shrug. “That would be one thing, but you haven’t so I trust you.” He smiles then. “You know, it’s not like it’s exactly a common thing to hear about a hunter leaving their profession, plus you’re pretty chill. That’s enough for me.” 

“I guess that’s all true.” 

“You never really told me why you left,” Wooyoung says. He licks his lips and hesitates. “Does it have something to do with this werewolf of yours?” 

San’s skin prickles at the reminder. “What werewolf?” he scoffs. “Why do you keep asking about him?” He narrows his eyes at Wooyoung. It comes up every now and again, but the mermaid has seemed especially pushy about it as of late. 

“Because how else am I supposed to believe you _don’t_ have a thing for Mingi unless there’s another werewolf in the picture. You practically fawn over him whenever he comes in.” San chokes at the accusation because he absolutely does _not_. “And I mean the one you won’t tell me about,” Wooyoung says with a pout. “Was he the reason you left?” 

“No,” San denies it on instinct more than anything, but, when he actually thinks about it, it is true. He wouldn’t say that he left because of Yunho, but the werewolf had certainly made it easier for him. “Don’t misunderstand me, Wooyoung. It’s not as if I don’t think hunters are unnecessary.” He reaches up to lightly touch his throat. It doesn’t hurt anymore, but he knows his skin is still quite a bit discolored. “My family was less interested in the actual safety of people and more interested in their own internal bureaucracy and their hatred for your kind. That’s why it was kill whatever you found.” 

“You’re not a fan of a total free-for-all?” Wooyoung jokes. 

“I never really liked the killing period,” San admits. He wasn't a fan of it. He didn’t like the feeling of killing another creature, no matter how much they deserved it. He didn’t like the feeling of someone going limp and cold on him. He especially didn’t like the blood. “It was just something I had to get used to. There was never a choice.” He turns his gaze down to the floor. 

“So why did it take you so long to leave?” 

San sighs, making a face at his boss because he doesn’t want to talk about this anymore, but Wooyoung doesn’t appear to be in a rush, patiently waiting for the human to continue on his own. “There was just a lot I learned to repress and hide when I was a kid. As much as I didn’t _like_ it, I could deal with it. Or I thought I could. I realized a little too late how wrong we are about a lot of you guys, and it cost me someone important.” 

“Who?” Wooyoung presses, but San shakes his head and refuses to say. 

“Can we go now please?” he asks in a strained voice instead. 

Sighing, Wooyoung nods his head in agreement. “Yeah. I’m ready to go if you are.” 

San pats himself down to feel for his knife. “I forgot my coat.” He left it in the back room. 

“Hurry up and get it.” Wooyoung waves him off as he continues to the front door. “I’ll meet you outside.” 

“I’ll be right there!” San calls as he rushes into the back of the bar again. 

Wooyoung pushes open the door of the bar with his shoulder, fingers digging into his pocket for his keys. He’s fiddling through his set of keys for the one to the front door. He’s just found it when he hears footsteps approach from behind him. 

“Hey, Jung Wooyoung.” The mermaid turns his head to look over his shoulder when he hears his name, his keys nearly slipping from his grasp when he sees a semi familiar figure behind him. Yunho is there, hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket and his expression oddly tense. “You lied,” the werewolf accuses him. 

Wooyoung stammers, turning his head to look back at his bar, peering through the door to see if he can spot San. Then he looks back to Yunho. He tosses his head back and forth like that for a few seconds, completely at a loss for words as panic settles into his stomach. What is Yunho still doing here? San...What about San? 

“You’re still here?” he finally blurts out, turning to look at Yunho. The werewolf frowns at him. “I thought you would have fucked off by now.” 

Yunho’s lips curl up in annoyance. “Because you lied,” he spits out. “San’s in this city and I can trace his scent back here!” 

Wooyoung resists the urge to tug at his hair. Fucking werewolves and their noses! He lunges for the werewolf instead, shoving at him. “You need to go,” he insists. 

“I’m not going anywhere,” Yunho argues, reaching up to pry Wooyoung’s hands away from him. “You know something, don’t you?” 

“I do!” Wooyoung agrees, pushing the werewolf away from his bar. Not like this. Not now. “I do, okay? And I can explain everything, but not right now. Right now, you need to go.” 

“Why?” Yunho demands. 

“Why?” Wooyoung sputters. He wants to snap back that it’s simply because he said so, but Yunho doesn’t seem all that interested in obeying him, nor does he seem particularly intimidated by the mermaid. Wooyoung quickly pivots his strategy. A wide, insincere smile spreads across his lips, and he clasps his hands together, holding them up to his face. “Well, as you can see I just closed up for the night,” he briefly looks back at his bar, “so I’m technically not currently on duty, and so I can’t actually help you. Come back during normal business hours and—” 

“What I want has nothing to do with your normal business hours,” Yunho interrupts him. “Tell me what you know.” 

Sighing, Wooyoung drops his act, hands falling to his side. “Fine. What I was _trying_ to say then is that I’m tired. I’m so tired. It’s, like, three in the morning. I get it, your species is nocturnal but can’t you come back and bother me tomorrow?” 

“I don’t have time to wait for you!” Yunho explodes at him. 

Wooyoung jumps at his outburst, struggling to say something in response. Why the rush? Before Wooyoung can try yet another tactic, the door of the bar opens and the mermaid squeezes his hands together into fists. Why did werewolves have to be so annoyingly stubborn?

“I’m ready,” San says, carefully closing the door behind him. He tests it to see if it’s locked, frowning when he’s able to pull it open again. “Hey, you didn’t lock it,” the human tells him, pointing to the door as he turns to face his boss. Wooyoung grimaces at the way San completely tenses up as well as the sharp inhale from Yunho. 

“San?” Yunho takes a step towards the human. 

Wooyoung can’t tell what expression San is wearing at the moment. He looks spooked, like he’d just seen a ghost, and the color in his face seems to have drained out. When Yunho takes a step towards him, he startles, bumping against the handle of the front door to the bar, and he hardly thinks when he pulls the door open, ducking inside and holding it shut like that will somehow keep the werewolf out. 

“San, what are you doing?” The werewolf asks, approaching the door. Wooyoung steps between them, holding Yunho at arms length with a tight smile on his face.

“I think we should talk,” the mermaid suggests.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm having fun with this story and i don't care lol


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yunho and San have much to talk about, and Seonghwa learns more about Hongjoong then he wants.

Wooyoung glances between San and Yunho at his kitchen table. The two of them are sitting on opposite sides of the table while he opted to sit at the head. It had been a struggle to coax San back out of the bar, the human practically hanging off the door handle in an attempt to keep it closed. They had forgone going to San’s house when the human reminded him that his apartment was warded like an army bunker, so Wooyoung had taken them both back to his place. 

It’s nearing four in the morning now, but whatever fatigue that had been plaguing Wooyoung has disappeared, morphing into alertness. Yunho doesn’t seem all too bothered by the early hour either, although the mermaid can’t pinpoint his exact expression. He doesn’t seem as alert as Wooyoung, but he’s also too tense for Wooyoung to mistake his posture as relaxed. 

San is the only one who appears ready to fall asleep at any moment. Truthfully, though, Wooyoung can’t tell if San is actually tired or just putting on an act. It’s hard to tell when he hangs his head down, staring resolutely at the kitchen table rather than anyone else. Is he just trying to avoid having this conversation? Or is he really so tired he’s about to fall asleep at the table? 

“Okay,” Wooyoung finally says when it’s clear that no one else is about to start this conversation. He turns in his seat to face Yunho. “So, who exactly are you?” 

San finally lifts his head up enough to look at Yunho. The two of them meet gazes for a brief moment but neither of them say anything, choosing to stay silent in the face of Wooyoung’s curiosity. 

“I told you,” Yunho eventually says, eyes sliding over to Wooyoung. “My name’s Yunho.” 

“And you’re a werewolf, yada yada,” the mermaid says with a dismissive wave of his hand. Narrowing his eyes, Wooyoung’s gaze darts back and forth between the two of them. “What I meant is what exactly is your relationship to each other? You clearly know each other.” There’s obvious tension between the two of them that Wooyoung doesn’t know what to make of yet. “So, who are you? How do you know each other?” 

Yunho looks over to the mermaid, his jawline tense as he clenches his teeth. “You don’t need to know,” he answers. 

Wooyoung presses his lips together in a tight, frustrated line and looks to San instead. The human avoids his gaze, though, apparently satisfied with Yunho’s response. “You’re in my apartment trying to talk to San who is currently under my care. I have a right to know,” he insists. 

“No,” Yunho says firmly. “I don’t exactly trust you anyways.” 

“Huh?” Wooyoung sounds dumbfounded by his explanation, pointing to himself. “Me? You don’t trust _me_?” 

“You lied to me about knowing San,” Yunho snaps, glancing at San who has returned to staring down at the table tiredly. Yunho deflates a little at his behavior, looking back to Wooyoung. “Why would I trust you?” 

“Excuse me?!” Wooyoung complains, nearly jumping out of his seat. “I was just protecting him! How could I have known if you were friend or foe?” He regards the werewolf suspiciously. “You know, speaking of which I still don’t know which one you are.” He taps San on the arm with the back of his hand a couple of times, shaking the human awake again. “So which one is it?” he asks the human. “Is he a friend or an enemy?” 

San lifts his head up, peering at Yunho from across the table for a brief moment before glancing at Wooyoung. He finally settles his gaze back down on the table, tracing patterns into the surface with his finger to help keep him awake. “I don’t know,” he mumbles, missing the way the werewolf’s expression falls at his answer, but it’s the truth. San doesn’t know, but he can probably guess. “Probably not an enemy though.” 

“How can you think that?” Yunho asks. 

“Exactly what am I supposed to think?” San fires back. 

Yunho sucks his bottom lip between his teeth, looking like a scolded puppy. He looks like there’s a lot he wants to say, but he hesitates, looking back at the mermaid. “Do you mind if we speak in private?” he asks. 

“I do mind!” Wooyoung says quickly, reaching out to grab hold of San’s arm as if to signal his guardianship. “You say you can’t trust me. Well, how am I supposed to trust you either?” 

Annoyed, Yunho tries with San instead. “Can we talk alone?” he requests. 

The human laughs, the sound tired and hollow. It’s not so much that he’s against talking. He just thinks it’s funny that Yunho wants to talk _now_ when he’d been so difficult about it before. “I thought you didn’t want to talk,” he points out, fingers curling up into a loose fist on the table. “You didn’t want to talk last time, remember? I thought there wasn’t anything to talk about.” 

Yunho releases a sigh, lips pulled down into a frown when he realizes that he’s at the disadvantage here. “San, please. Things have changed.” 

“Have they?” San asks, his voice cracking. Wooyoung’s hand tightens around San’s arm protectively, his expression hardening at Yunho. 

Jealousy flares up in the werewolf’s gut as he watches the interaction. “Yes,” he affirms in answer to San’s question. 

Wooyoung watches the two of them go back and forth apprehensively, still a little off-put by not knowing exactly what’s going on between them. Neither of them seem all that interested in folding him into the loop, though, so he tries for a different strategy. 

Leaning back into his seat, the mermaid eyes Yunho critically, trailing his gaze over the werewolf’s body quite pointedly. Yunho shoots him an odd look but otherwise ignores him. “You know, looking at him I can see why Mingi caught your eye,” Wooyoung remarks, glancing over to San who lifts his gaze up to meet the mermaid’s. The confusion is evident in San’s expression, but Wooyoung pushes it. “Both are werewolves and quite tall—although that’s not exactly unusual for a werewolf—but I’ll be honest with you, San. He’s much more handsome than Mingi.” He wags his finger at Yunho who blinks in confusion. 

San’s expression screws up in a mixture of horror and confusion. Literally why is Wooyoung going on about Mingi so suddenly? “What the hell are you talking about?” he asks. Yunho is equally as confused, making a noise of alarm in the back of his throat at the unfamiliar name being thrown around.

“I mean that don’t you think he’s cuter than Mingi? You’re so out of his league. You should go for Yunho instead.” Wooyoung grins to himself. This is the most he’s gotten from the two of them in terms of a reaction, so he presses forward with the tactic. 

“Who the hell is Mingi?” Yunho demands. 

“No one,” San says fiercely.

At the same time that Wooyoung tells him, “He’s a werewolf who San is trying to fuck.” 

“What?” Yunho balks, looking at the human in alarm. 

“I’m not!” San denies, shaking his head. He smacks Wooyoung on the arm a couple times to keep him from saying anything further. “Would you stop it with that?” 

“What? I’m just looking out for you,” Wooyoung defends, flinching away from San when the human smacks him a few more times for good measure. “I’m telling you, this guy is much better than Mingi. Why? What’s wrong? Is there a problem?” 

San scoffs, left momentarily speechless by Wooyoung’s persistence. Is there a problem? There is most definitely a problem here. “Yunho is my ex,” the human blurts out. 

Wooyoung’s previous bravado quickly shrivels up in the face of San’s admission. “He’s your what?” 

“My ex,” San hisses, seeing no point in hiding it anymore. “So will you just drop it?” 

The mermaid inhales sharply, turning to stare at Yunho, but the werewolf actively avoids his eyes. It really just seems to lend more credence to San’s claim. They’re exes. He supposes that it explains San’s fascination with werewolves, but it really just confuses Wooyoung more than it actually explains anything. Why had a werewolf been dating a hunter? Why had a _hunter_ been dating a _werewolf_? If they broke up, what the hell was Yunho doing here now? And did this have anything to do with San fleeing in the first place?

“So you broke up with him and then ran?” Wooyoung asks, pointing towards Yunho. 

San bristles at the accusation. “He broke up with me!” he corrects as if that’s the most important detail. Although he quickly shrinks back into himself when he realizes how defensive he’d been over such a minor detail. “Anyways, that’s not what’s important.” He reluctantly meets Yunho’s eyes across the table, pressing his palms flat against the table to ground himself. “You’re the one who wanted to end things. To protect yourself, remember?” San reminds him. 

Yunho presses his lips together, playing with his fingers as he waits for San to finish his train of thought. “Why are you here?” the human demands. “Wasn’t this exactly why you didn’t want anything to do with me anymore? So what are you doing here?” 

Sighing, Yunho’s eyes travel down to San’s neck, noting the mild discoloration of his skin there. San has a point though. Yunho knows he’s being hypocritical about this whole thing, and he has a lot of explaining to do. 

  
  
  
  


Hongjoong is mildly alarmed when Seonghwa shows up at their designated meeting point with a duffle bag fully packed and ready to go. “You have a go-bag?” he scoffs, eyeing the black bag with distaste. Seonghwa ignores him, holding his hand out impatiently, wiggling his fingers when Hongjoong just stares at his outstretched hand. “What?” the fae asks. 

Seonghwa sighs, hand falling back to his side. “I only have a motorcycle. You said you would get us a car,” the hunter reminds him. 

“Ah. Right.” Hongjoong did say he would get them a car. He glances around, looking for an easy victim to steal from. 

“You didn’t get it, did you?” Seonghwa accuses him. 

“I got it!” the fae denies. This is an easy enough task to accomplish. He just has to find a target first. 

The hunter presses his lips together, the corners pulling down into a frown. “I thought you were the one who was in a hurry to find San,” he points out. 

“I am!” Hongjoong assures him, eyes catching sight of a potential victim. There’s a young man he spotted on the other side of the street who just slid out of a car. He looks rather unassuming in his jeans and hoodie, hand stuffed into his pockets. “That car,” the fae nods to the black midsize car he just came out of. “We’ll take that car.” 

Seonghwa pinches the bridge of his nose, trying not to voice his internal frustrations at the fae. He expected Hongjoong to procure a car at least somewhat legally, or at least if he was planning on doing it illegally to not do it within the hunter’s presence. Clearly he had been asking for too much. 

“What?” Hongjoong snaps, sensing the hunter’s frustration with him. “It’ll be easy and quick. And if it makes you feel better we can return the car when we’re done. That way we’re just borrowing it, right? We’re not stealing. We’re just borrowing.” 

“You fairies have such a lax relationship with words. I’m envious,” Seonghwa deadpans. 

Hongjoong’s expression sours at his accusation. “On the contrary we have an incredibly strict relationship with words,” he corrects, eyes flashing with annoyance when Seonghwa rolls his eyes. “Words hold more meaning to us than it does to you humans.” 

“Sure. That’s why you’re going to ‘borrow’ this guy’s car?” 

“I am going to borrow it,” Hongjoong says confidently. “Just wait here.” The fae waves Seonghwa off before he turns to make his way over to his victim. He’s only one step off the curb when the hunter suddenly catches him by the elbow, pulling him back. “What now?” the fae whines when Seonghwa drags him back. The hunter tugs him in the other direction, pushing Hongjoong to move when the fae tries to resist. 

“Rethink your plan,"” he hisses low enough so only the fae can hear. 

“Why?” Hongjoong demands as he looks over his shoulder at his prey, hissing when Seonghwa digs his nails into the soft tissue of his elbow. 

“Don’t,” Seonghwa tugs him more harshly when Hongjoong glances at his would-be victim over his shoulder. “I think he’s a hunter.” 

Hongjoong tenses up, his attention successfully diverted. “What? Are you sure?”

“No,” Seonghwa admits, dragging Hongjoong along with him as he rounds the corner of the block. Maybe he’s just being paranoid, but the moment he had laid eyes on the person Hongjoong had been eyeing he felt on edge. “I’m pretty sure though. He carries himself like a hunter.” 

Hongjoong furrows his eyebrows. “Do we need to be worried about him? You’re a hunter, aren’t you? And I’m glamoured. Who would think a hunter would be hanging around with a fae anyways?” 

“You never know,” Seonghwa says, biting into his bottom lip as he peers around the corner. The other human is still there, looking down at the phone in his hands. He looks like any other pedestrian, loitering around to answer a text message, but Seonghwa can’t help but remain suspicious. 

“What? More of you annoying fuckers are hunting me down?” Hongjoong demands, placing his hands on his hips. 

Seonghwa ducks back behind the corner again, a little scoff escaping him. “Don’t think yourself so important,” he chides with a shake of his head. “You were a failed hunt on _my_ part, but you’re just a lone fae. I doubt that he’s specifically looking for you.” 

“So what is it? Coincidence?” 

Frowning, Seonghwa worries that he might have a pretty good idea of what that guy wanted and who sent him. “Maybe,” he agrees, hoping Hongjoong is right. “That or he’s keeping an eye on me.” 

The fae appears shocked by his suggestion. “Keeping an eye on you? Why?” Seonghwa tuts, not finding Hongjoong’s question to be of the utmost importance anyways. The more pressing issue was that they currently needed a car. Before Seonghwa can remind him of that, however, the fae’s glamour suddenly slips, his eyes turning a deep black as his iris flash a bright blue. It only lasts for a split second, but it spooks the hunter. “I smell iron,” Hongjoong says in a low voice, eyes narrowed. 

At that moment, the guy from around the block bursts around the corner, a blade drawn. Hongjoong jumps back immediately, teeth bared as he assumes this to be some kind of ruse. Seonghwa had technically gotten all the intel he could from Yeosang, so what did he really need Hongjoong for? 

However, to the fae’s surprise, the hunter doesn’t go for Hongjoong at all. He’s entirely focused on Seonghwa instead, lifting his blade against another hunter. Hongjoong temporarily freezes, too shocked to understand how to process this unexpected turn of events. Fortunately, Seonghwa doesn’t have the same issue. He immediately swings with his duffle bag, hitting the hunter in the side and completely throwing him off. 

“You’d raise your blade at me?” Seonghwa barks, knuckles white from the tight grip on his bag. 

“You’d work with a fae?” the hunter spits back at him, blade drawn again. “That’s unconscionable.” 

“It’s two against one,” Seonghwa warns him. “Think this through.” 

“You weren’t fit for this job. What will the head of the clan say when he finds out you're working with a fae?” the hunter bites back.

Hongjoong is so intent on watching the scene between the two humans unfold that he completely misses how the hunter seems to pivot his attention to the redhead instead. Hunters attacking each other? He knows Seonghwa is technically tracking down his friend, but he figured it was just to deal a punishment at a later time. He had no idea that hunters would ever attack their own. 

“Oi!” Seonghwa yells at him, finally drawing the fae back into the action. 

Hongjoong snaps back to reality just in time to flinch away as the hunter brings his knife down at him. It cuts his cheek, and Hongjoong hisses at the burn of iron against his skin, but the hunter misses anything vital thanks to Seonghwa who had swung his duffle bag up into the hunter’s stomach this time. 

The hunter swings for the fae again, but Hongjoong catches him by the wrist, bringing his arm up to hold the knife out of the way. With a smug grin, the fae knees him hard, watching in satisfaction as the hunter keels over. He has every intention of finishing this with a bite, thinking that this had all ended quite beautifully. They’d put this hunter out of commission long enough for them to take his car and escape. He _told_ Seonghwa that he had this whole thing under control. 

He grabs hold of the human just beneath his chin, tilting his head back to sink his teeth into the hunter’s neck. The human recovers from Seonghwa’s blow quickly, lifting his blade up and sinking it into Hongjoong’s arm. The fae cries out in alarm. It’s by no means a fatal wound, but the iron _burns_. He grabs the knife by the handle, ripping it from his arm with a little whimper of pain. That’s it. The hunter is going to get it now. 

Before he can even try to exact his revenge, Seonghwa wraps an arm around the hunter’s throat, pulling the human tight against his chest. Hongjoong blinks, watching as Seonghwa grabs his wrist with his other hand, using it to pull his arm across the hunter’s throat even tighter. The human chokes fingers digging into Seonghwa’s arm to pry him off. 

Seonghwa quickly scans their surroundings to make sure they’re the only ones there. Night has settled over the city and few people are running around, so he pulls his arm tighter, cutting off the hunter’s air supply. 

Hongjoong is admittedly both fascinated and horrified by his behavior. “You’ll kill him,” he warns the human, watching as their attacker makes little noiseless gasps, trying to suck in air. 

“I know what I’m doing,” Seonghwa snaps at him. The thing about choking someone is that it takes more time than anyone actually thinks, but it’s bloodless. Seonghwa doesn’t want Hongjoong sinking his teeth into the hunter’s skin or in any way drawing blood, so he holds tightly, teeth grit together as he slowly chokes the life out of a fellow hunter. 

“Do you?” Hongjoong asks. He doesn’t intervene though. It’s not his place. He hadn’t even intended on killing the hunter, but Seonghwa seems to have no qualms with it. Hongjoong can’t decide if Seonghwa really does know what he’s doing or not when the hunter in his hold eventually goes limp. Seonghwa maintains his hold around the hunter’s throat for another minute or so—apparently to make sure he really was dead—before he finally lowers the body to the ground. 

Hongjoong watches in a mixture of fascination, horror, and satisfaction as Seonghwa bends down to rifle through the hunter’s possessions, grabbing his car keys from his pocket. “Stay here,” the human tells him, glancing around again but seeing no witnesses. “I’ll bring the car around.” 

Hongjoong hums, staring at Seonghwa’s back as he rounds the block to grab the car the fae had been eyeing anyways. He doesn’t know what to make of the hunter at the moment. Is he horrified by the human’s ruthlessness or pleased that Seonghwa had so kindly taken out a threat to him? He bends down next to the body, reaching out to check a pulse, and comes away with nothing. He’s not necessarily surprised considering how long Seonghwa had strangled him for, but he still can’t really come to grips with the fact that the hunter had just killed another hunter. 

Seonghwa brings the car around to him at that point, popping the trunk and stepping out of it as another thought crosses the fae’s mind. “Are you sure you didn’t just kill an innocent human?” he asks, not because he believes it, but just to taunt the hunter. 

Ignoring him, Seonghwa lifts the trunk up further before he marches back over to the body. He pauses in front of the fae, reaching down to press his palm against his cut cheek, and Hongjoong winces as he’s forced to remember the sting of iron against his skin. “Sure, let’s say he was an innocent human,” Seonghwa scoffs before he leans down to pick up the body with a grunt. 

“He could have been,” Hongjoong protests, gently prodding at his stinging cheek. He makes a horrified noise when he sees Seonghwa dump the body into the trunk of the car, but the human doesn’t pay him any mind. 

“Werewolf traps, wolfsbane, iron cages, an assortment of knives and other blades,” Seonghwa lists each item he finds in the trunk of the car, even holding up a couple of the items for Hongjoong to see. “He was definitely a hunter.” 

“Okay,” Hongjoong says as Seonghwa grabs a little box from the back before he slams the trunk of the car. The hunter tosses the item towards Hongjoong who stares down at the little first aid kit in his hands. “Why are we putting his body in the trunk though?” He rifles through the contents, pulling out a roll of gauze.

Sighing, Seonghwa stares at the fae over the hood of the car. “Get in,” he orders before he slides into the driver’s side. Hongjoong hesitates before reluctantly slipping into the passenger seat. Seonghwa starts driving before he finally answers the fae. “I think someone sent him. If we left him there he would have been found quickly which doesn’t help us. We’ll dump the body somewhere secluded along the way.” 

The fae hums. How clever. “And the need to kill him?” 

“Don’t tell me you wouldn’t have done the same,” Seonghwa deflects. “Seeing has how you view human lives as being worthless and all.” 

“I wouldn’t have, and I never said that,” Hongjoong denies. He hadn’t been planning on hurting the hunter beyond poisoning him a little. “I simply asked you who made human lives more valuable than mine or others like me.” 

Seonghwa laughs at his argument, shaking his head in disbelief. “He would have killed you,” the hunter reminds him. “He would have killed you if the opportunity presented itself, and even if he didn’t he would have reported your existence to the head of the clan. Then you _really_ would have been hunted.” 

“Aren’t I already reported?” Hongjoong asks with a sly smile. 

“No,” Seonghwa answers, completely missing the fae’s baffled expression. “They don’t know about either you or Yunho. San and I had agreed to keep it under wraps before he suddenly ran off.” 

“Oh.” Hongjoong hadn’t been expecting that, not at all. Glancing over to the hunter, Hongjoong admits that he’s rather shocked by Seonghwa’s behavior. Some of it is entirely expected from a hunter, but this? “So...you killed him to keep me safe?” 

“I did it to keep _us_ safe,” Seonghwa corrects although it really doesn’t do much to change the overall sentiment that he had helped the fae out in this case. “We’re working together for now. It’s in my best interest to keep you safe then.” 

“Huh. So you’re also capable of bending some hunter rules then,” Hongjoong remarks. “You didn’t strike me as the type.” 

Seonghwa briefly glances over to him. “I wasn’t born into a hunter family like San,” he says, piquing Hongjoong’s interest. 

“Oh? Why would you become one then?” Hongjoong asks. Seonghwa doesn’t answer him, though, settling into his seat for the long drive ahead of them. “What, you don’t want to tell me?” 

“No, not really,” Seonghwa agrees. “We’re temporary partners. That doesn’t mean I need to tell you my life story.” 

Hongjoong releases a long suffering breath, relaxing back into his seat. He lifts his hand up to run his finger along his bottom lip and plays with it. Seonghwa is right, of course. There’s really no need for them to know anything about each other, but it doesn’t abate the natural curiosity of a fae. He wants to know. Humans don’t generally go into the profession. It’s dangerous, and members aren’t expected to live long. So why? 

By now he thinks he has an idea of how Seonghwa works at least. Hongjoong won’t just be able to wiggle it out of him. He’ll have to give something in return. “You know, I’m courtless.” 

Seonghwa keeps his eyes fixed on the road, but Hongjoong can tell that he’s confused if not curious by the way his eyebrows knit together. The human takes a long, quiet moment to digest Hongjoong’s words while the fae licks his lips and waits patiently for it to hit him. 

“Wait.” Hongjoong settles back into his seat with a small smile. There we go. “You’re courtless?” Seonghwa repeats. “As in you’re not a part of one of the fairy courts?” 

“That’s what it means to be courtless for a fae,” Hongjoong confirms. 

Seonghwa goes quiet again for a long stretch of time before the curiosity finally gets the better of him. “Why?” he asks. 

“I was banished,” Hongjoong answers, tilting his head as he eyes the human, wondering if he’s given him enough yet. “I loved a human once, and the Queen kicked me out because of it.” 

Seonghwa actually laughs at that, and the smile on the fae’s face falls at his reaction. He laughed. He actually laughed at that. Hongjoong is incensed. “You loved a human?” Seonghwa asks. 

“I did,” the fae insists. It was a long time ago now, so long ago Hongjoong could hardly remember when it was. He remembered the human though. He doesn’t think he would ever be able to forget. “Why are you laughing?” he demands, irritated by Seonghwa’s amusement in his pain. 

“I’m just wondering what kind of human you would have loved considering your general attitude towards them,” Seonghwa remarks. 

Hongjoong purses his lips up in a sour expression. “It’s not humans I have an issue with,” he defends. He’s never hated humans. Humans have always been beautiful in their own way to Hongjoong. They’re fleeting and weak, but still so beautiful to the fae. “It’s hunters that give them a bad name.” 

Seonghwa presses his lips together at his answer. “You’re a fae,” he eventually says, glancing briefly at Hongjoong when he hums. “You’re a fool then. For loving a human.” 

Hongjoong snorts at his observation. Yes, he thinks, he was definitely a fool for loving a human. 

  
  
  
  


Truthfully, Wooyoung doesn’t know what to make of Yunho. Yeah, he knows that he’s a werewolf and that he used to date San at some point, but beyond that the mermaid really can’t grasp what’s up with the two of them. They’re the weirdest duo he’s ever encountered, and Wooyoung has seen a lot of shit as a bartender which is why he readies himself for work the next day, or same day really, much earlier than is strictly necessary. 

“You guys figure your shit out,” he says to San as the human tries to stop him from leaving. “I don’t understand what the fuck is going on between you, and I honestly don’t want to know, but you two need to figure your shit out.” 

“You’re seriously going to just leave me alone with him?” San asks in a low voice so Yunho can’t hear.

The mermaid momentarily pauses, sighing as he glances over to the werewolf over San’s shoulders. Yunho is still sitting at the kitchen table, nursing a cup of coffee in a desperate attempt not to fall asleep. “Are you actually scared he’s going to hurt you?” he challenges. San quiets at that. “Honestly, I’m more concerned that you two will start _fucking_ each other on the kitchen table, and I really don’t want to be there for that if you don’t mind.” 

San squeaks, looking affronted by Wooyoung’s accusation. “I’m—we’re not going to do that!” 

“It was a joke,” Wooyoung assures him, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder. “But also, it looks like you might really need to do that. The tension—sexual or otherwise—between you two is insane, so do what you have to do, but I don’t want to be here while you do it. Anyways, your ex is definitely not saying anything while I’m here, so I might as well go.” 

“Wooyoung—” But the mermaid isn’t having any of his excuses, waving the human off when San tries to convince him to stay. He closes the door with a resounding slam that leaves no more room for argument, leaving Yunho and San on their own. 

Immediately an awkward and tense silence settles over the two of them. San refuses to even turn and look in Yunho’s direction for a good minute or so as he fidgets in front of the door. Eventually he turns to face the werewolf, sucking in sharp breath when his eyes meet familiar hazel ones. San’s mouth goes dry and his throat tightens when he meets Yunho’s gaze. 

They should probably talk. They should definitely talk. There’s a lot that San has to say to Yunho, and he’s sure that Yunho is probably in a similar position. San just can’t bring himself to say anything yet. Wooyoung is right. The tension between them is palpable, but San just doesn’t have what it takes to actually confront it. Not yet at least. 

So instead he awkwardly clears his throat and motions to the guest bedroom he’d grown accustomed to during his recovery and says, “I’m going to go take a nap.” He probably needs one anyways. He hasn’t slept since yesterday because Yunho’s sudden appearance had kept him up for the rest of last night and deep into the next morning. 

The werewolf nods his head, looking away guiltily. He feels bad for keeping San up for so long. “Yeah, you could probably use some sleep. We can talk when you wake up.” 

San nods his head curtly, stiffly making his way over to the room. Maybe a good nap would help him gather his thoughts for what he wanted to say to Yunho because despite how much he knows they have to talk about, right now San can say he has no idea what he would actually say. 

Between his already fucked up sleep schedule and the anxiety of having to face the werewolf eventually, San only manages to squeeze in a couple hours of sleep until he’s just lying in bed awake and hungry but too cowardly to actually leave for fear of running into Yunho. It’s still brightly lit in the room, and the sun is hanging high in the sky, nowhere near nighttime yet. Wooyoung had told him to figure his shit out, but San feels way too comfortable and happy just hiding from Yunho in all honesty. 

Eventually the hunger wins out on him, and he reluctantly rolls out of bed. Tip toeing to the bedroom door, San presses his ear against it, wondering if he can hear the werewolf from in here. It’s quiet on the other side, though. San can’t pick up on the wolf at all. San frowns. Perhaps Yunho is also taking a nap on the couch or something in which case the hunter may just have to pounce on the opportunity. 

Twisting the knob of the door, San pulls back, ready to use Yunho’s absence to his full advantage. However, once San opens the door he immediately stumbles back with a shriek because a body crashes into the room, knocking against San’s legs and almost taking him out from the shock of it. 

Yunho groans when his head hits the floor, curling up on his side as he reaches up to cup the back of his head. San practically molds himself into the wall as he stares down at the werewolf who’s whimpering in pain on the floor in front of him. 

“Were you just sitting in front of the door?” San asks, finally taking a step forward. He reaches out to help Yunho before suddenly thinking better of it, pausing with his hands just hovering above the werewolf’s head. 

“Yes.” Yunho lifts himself up into a sitting position, hands still covering his head as he glances over to San. The human freezes in place when their eyes meet, and he tucks his hands into his stomach as he looks away. 

“Why? I mean, you could have slept on the couch or something if you were tired,” San chides him, motioning in the general direction of Wooyoung’s living room. He still refuses to make eye contact with Yunho. “Sleeping in front of the door is too uncomfortable.” 

“I was doing it in case something happened to you,” Yunho argues. 

“What? What would happen to me?” San tries to dismiss his concerns, although he probably fails spectacularly considering the way Yunho’s eyes immediately fall to his neck. Clearing his throat, San reaches up to adjust the collar of his shirt to hide the evidence of his attack. Unfortunately it’s pretty hard to inconspicuously hold the collar of his shirt up over his neck. He tries it anyway. 

More than anything, it just draws Yunho’s attention to his neck, and the werewolf reaches out to pull his hands away. His collar drops back down, revealing the faded bruises still encircling his neck. San laughs nervously, trying to pull his hands from Yunho’s grip, but the werewolf holds strong. “Vampire?” he guesses, eyes still fixated on San’s neck. The human stops struggling, but he presses his lips together in a thin line, refusing to say anything. “When were you attacked?” 

San sighs, tugging his hands free with a firm twist of his wrist. It doesn’t appear to bother Yunho though because he reaches out for the human’s neck instead, placing gentle figures against the side of his neck. The action isn’t threatening in the least bit, but San still tenses up, and it doesn’t escape the werewolf’s notice. 

“I caught your scent in an alley not far from that bar you work at,” Yunho tells him. San raises his eyebrows at him, not exactly following along with him. “It was your blood, and I smelled the blood of a vampire too.” San sucks in a breath through his lips. He knows what Yunho is talking about now. “You were attacked by a vampire weren’t you?” 

San reaches up, his fingers curling around Yunho’s wrist. He doesn’t try to remove the werewolf. He just holds on to him to keep himself grounded and stop the trembling in his hand. Yunho pulls back on his own, twisting his hand around to grab San’s, and the hunter releases a shuddering breath when he feels Yunho’s warm hand engulf his own, their joined hands resting on the human’s shoulder. 

When the tremble in his hand stops, San steels himself as he looks up to meet Yunho’s eyes. “How do you know I didn’t attack a vampire?” he challenges. 

Yunho falters at his question. “What?” 

“I’m a hunter, remember?” San reminds him, expression twisted up into pain. “Killing is what I do. That’s what you said, remember? That’s why you ran from me, isn’t it? So how do you know that I wasn’t the one who attacked the vampire?” 

Yunho’s hand tightens over San’s, and the human digs his nails into the skin of his shoulder. “Are you being serious?” he asks, half expecting the human to tell him that it was all just a joke. 

However, San holds his ground, gritting his teeth. “ _You_ said it,” he accuses. “That’s your view on hunters, right? So how do you know _I_ wasn’t at fault?” 

“San!” Yunho snaps at him. “Stop it. I don’t—” 

“Why!” San interrupts him. “ _This is how you view me_. This is why you broke up with me! I made a mistake. I admit that.” He pauses, taking a moment to catch his breath and hold back his tears. He hadn’t thought about it in a long time now, but the endless hours he’d had to himself while he recovered had given him too much time to think about it. He tried not to think too much about Yunho at the time, but the memories had inevitably come to him. 

San had been particularly haunted by the night he nearly killed the werewolf. He had come so close to killing Yunho, and he hadn’t even known it. If he and Seonghwa had succeeded that night San would have been none the wiser. Yunho would have effectively disappeared, and San likely would have never known why. “If it weren’t for your friend, I know what would have happened. I know how that night would have ended, and I’m sorry! At least I admitted it though. I know I made a mistake hunting you that night, and I’m sorry, but I gave you the benefit of the doubt, you know. But to you what am I?” His nails are digging so hard into his shoulder now, San is half convinced he must be drawing blood but there’s nothing wet under his fingernails. “A hunter? Just a murderer? Why would you assume a vampire attacked me in that case?” 

As if he can tell what San is doing to himself, Yunho pulls San’s hand from his shoulder, the human wincing as he scratches himself in the process. The werewolf doesn’t say anything, but San can tell that he’s hurt. He hoped he would hurt Yunho with his words. It had been half his goal, the other half just a raging need to rant that he’s kept bottled up. Who had there been to talk to? Wooyoung? Yeosang? San could never bring himself to do that. They weren’t humans, and they were well within their rights to hate hunters. 

The corners of San’s lips curl up into a smile and a little laugh escapes his throat, but nothing about his expression or the noise he makes portrays any kind of happiness. “What if I hunted that vampire down? Would you still be concerned?” Yunho doesn’t immediately answer, but San doesn’t really expect him to. He knows the answer anyway. “Why exactly are you here, Yunho?” he asks in a quieter voice. The question is hardly audible, and Yunho really only hears it thanks to his heightened senses. 

Yunho licks his lips as he sucks in a deep breath, releasing it as a long-suffering sigh. His hand still tight around San’s own, he picks himself up to gain leverage over the human. San makes a little noise of confusion but is late to react before Yunho pulls him forward. It’s not hard given the hardwood flooring, but San flails nevertheless. Yunho pulls him just enough away from the wall that he can push the human down onto his back without his head hitting the wall. 

San grunts when he hits the floor, chest heaving when Yunho pins him there, sitting back on the human’s hips. “What are you doing?” San asks, although he does little to fight the werewolf off. 

“I’m sick of playing this game with you,” Yunho tells him. 

San smiles at him. “What game?” 

“This one!” Yunho grits his teeth and clenches his fingers around San’s wrist. “The one where you keep asking me how I feel about you now or leading me on with false scenarios because—what?—now you can read my mind?” 

“That’s not—” 

“You’re mad at me,” Yunho cuts him off, not giving San a chance to speak because it’s _his_ turn now. “I understand. I know that I’m being a hypocrite right now, San. I know that. I just don’t _care_ even if it pisses you off. The last time I saw you, you and your partner were holding me at gunpoint. Even if you didn’t know it was me that’s still one of the last times that I saw you. And you said it yourself, right? That if Hongjoong hadn’t shown up then, I’d be dead.” 

San’s lips tremble, and he struggles to blink away the tears gathering in his eyes. Yunho reaches out to wipe away a stray tear, resting the palm of his hand against San’s cheek as he stumbles over his words in his attempt to explain himself. “I was forced out of my pack before I ever came of age, San. I’ve spent my entire life running from hunters and other wolves. I won’t lie to you. Remembering you like that terrifies me. It absolutely terrifies me. That’s why I ended things because I needed distance from you. Because I was _scared_.” 

San twists beneath the werewolf now, finally struggling because of all things he can’t bear, this seems to be his limit. He doesn’t want to know how terrified Yunho had been of him. He hates the thought because he knows just how close he had been to killing the werewolf. 

“But you were right,” Yunho acknowledges, wrestling with San to hold him down. “Even though it was your mistake you did give me the benefit of the doubt. You told me you knew that I had never hurt anyone, but I didn’t give you the same courtesy. I’m sorry for that.” 

“Sorry for what?” San says, trying to laugh it off. “You weren’t exactly wrong. Is that why you tracked me down? Because you felt sorry for not being nicer to me when we broke up?” 

“Don’t be stupid,” Yunho chides him, leaning in close enough to San to press their foreheads together. The human holds his breath, trying to ignore the way his heart beats faster. “Just stop being like this. Don’t ask me what ifs as if they’re actually a real option. What if you hunted that vampire? Bullshit. If you did you wouldn’t need to ask, and you wouldn’t have gotten hurt.” 

San licks his lips, reminding himself that he needs to breathe. “Then why did you track me down?” he asks again. 

“Because,” Yunho pauses, “Because I made a mistake too, and I’m admitting it now.” 

San blinks up at him, not daring to hope. “What—” he swallows thickly. He wants to ask what Yunho means. What mistake is he referring to? He parts his lips to ask but only manages to release a muffled cry of alarm when Yunho tilts his chin up at the same time he leans down, catching San in a kiss. A shiver travels throughout the human’s entire body, leaving a tingling sensation in its wake. 

There’s so many issues with this kiss. They need to talk. They need to better define what the hell is going on between them. What are they to each other? Until that’s settled they shouldn’t be doing this. They really shouldn’t be doing this, but San’s body completely heats up, and when he reaches up to push Yunho away, fingers curling over his shoulders, he hesitates and pulls the werewolf in closer instead. 

Yunho moves his hand up to bury it in San’s hair. He gently pulls at the strands eliciting a moan from San. Yunho licks over San’s bottom lip before nibbling on it. San gasps at the sensation, his head dizzy with thoughts of the werewolf. This is all familiar—the touch of his lips and the smell of Yunho’s body wash—but it’s been so long it all feels like brand new sensations to the human. 

San finally moves his hands to Yunho’s shoulders, pushing him away with a gasping breath. “Wait,” he says, fingers digging into Yunho’s shoulders. “Wait. Hold on. We can’t just—” San’s protest is cut off with a sharp breath when Yunho digs his own hands underneath San’s armpits, pulling the human up into a sitting position. “Why did you do that?” 

Yunho doesn’t answer, just leans in for another kiss. With a yelp, San holds him by his cheeks, keeping him at a safe distance. “Don’t. You can’t just—we broke up,” he reminds the werewolf. “This was what you wanted. Distance. From me. Because I’m a hunter.” 

“You were a hunter,” Yunho corrects him, startling the human. “You left, or am I mistaken about why you’re all the way out here hiding?” 

San hesitates. “No. You’re not, but that still doesn’t explain why you’re here. What do you want?” 

“Isn’t that obvious?” Yunho asks, reaching up to pull San’s hands away from his face. “I want you.” 

“Yunho—” 

“I was wrong about you. I was wrong to push you away,” Yunho admits. San shakes in his hold, falling forward into Yunho’s arms so he can hide his face in the werewolf’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, but I’ve been missing you like crazy, and when I heard you had disappeared I was so worried.” 

Taking in a deep breath, San winds his arms around Yunho’s body, fingers digging into the back of his shirt. “I’m fine,” he mumbles. 

“Are you?” Yunho presses, fingers brushing against the remnant of a bruise on his neck. 

“I survived,” San argues. 

Laughing at his declaration, Yunho pulls the human closer to him. They hold onto each other in silence for a long moment before Yunho finally says, “I know that we’re not good yet. I know that there’s probably more that we need to talk about, but—” 

“I don’t want to talk anymore,” San agrees with a little nod of his head. His fingers twist into Yunho’s shirt, pulling it down hard enough that the werewolf chokes a little at the sensation of the collar pressed to his throat. He agrees that there’s probably still a lot they need to discuss, but it’s already been painful enough as is. San’s had enough for one day. “My ass is sore.” 

Yunho laughs this time. An actual real laugh as he runs his hand over San’s head, petting him affectionately. “Okay. Let’s get you off this floor,” Yunho suggests. He picks San up with little trouble, but the human has always been on the lighter side. He walks them over to the bed, falling on top of the human as he dumps him on the bed. San grunts, groaning under the weight of the werewolf and smacking him a few times to warn him to move.

“Yunho,” the human wheezes when the werewolf removes most of his weight off of him. “Yunho, I’m hungry.” He’d nearly forgotten that his hunger was the entire reason he even got up in the first place. 

“Okay. I’ll get you something to eat,” Yunho promises although he doesn’t move from where he is over San. The human smacks him on the shoulder a few times, but the werewolf still doesn’t budge. Instead he leans down, catching San’s lips in another kiss. The human whines just before Yunho silences him. In spite of his hunger and complaints, San indulges him, cupping the back of Yunho’s head with his hand to hold him in close. 

San chalks it up to the fact that it’s been so long, and no matter how messed up this is currently, he’s missed this. He wants this. He wants Yunho. Unfortunately, his body won’t just let him forget that he needs to eat because his stomach suddenly grumbles just as Yunho licks into San’s mouth. 

The werewolf pulls back, looking down at the human with a little grin on his face. San covers his face with his hands, pressing his palms into his cheeks. “Food,” he mumbles out, too embarrassed to say anything else. 

“Okay.” Yunho slides off of him. “I’ll get you some food. Actually this time.” 

  
  
  
  


Hongjoong shoulders the door of the hotel room open, words immediately falling from his lips as he enters. “Okay, I got it,” he says, scrolling through his phone as Seonghwa towel dries his wet hair. The fae comes to an abrupt halt when he rounds the corner where the two full sized beds are only to find Seonghwa standing over his duffle bag in nothing but a pair of sweatpants and a towel on his head. 

“What?” the hunter asks. 

Hongjoong’s eyes stray down to the hunter’s bare chest before he looks away. “Put on a shirt,” he demands. 

Seonghwa sighs, digging one out of his duffle bag. “I meant what did you find,” he clarifies, tugging the towel off his head so he can slip into his shirt. “I didn’t realize fairies were such prudes,” he mutters under his breath. 

“It’s not about being a prude,” Hongjoong defends. “It’s about not wanting to see _you_ naked.” 

“Whatever,” Seonghwa breathes, tugging the hem of his shirt down. “So did you get what I asked?” 

Hongjoong glances over his shoulder to look at Seonghwa, shoulders relaxing when he sees the hunter wearing a shirt. Then he turns fully to face the hunter, holding his phone out for Seonghwa to take. “I asked around. This place kept coming up if you were looking for information and rumors. It’s a supernatural only bar.” 

Seonghwa takes the phone from his hand, glancing over the information Hongjoong gave him before he hands it back. “Okay. Sounds like a good starting point at the very least. Let’s go later tonight.” 

Hongjoong cradles his phone to his chest, squinting at the hunter suspiciously. He hates to admit it, but the curiosity is still killing him. “You’re okay with going there?” 

Seonghwa shrugs his shoulders. “If it’s the best way to get a lead on this mermaid friend of Yeosang’s I don’t see why not.” 

The fae narrows his eyes at him. “Why are you hunting one of your own?” he asks. 

Seonghwa zips his duffle bag closed before setting it down on the floor. “Is it any of your business?” Hongjoong curls his lips up in distaste. “When one of your own runs away, what do fairy courts do?” Seonghwa questions, looking at the fae from the corner of his eye. Hongjoong visibly winces at the question. “Do they just let you go?” 

“No,” Hongjoong admits. Not unless they’ve been banished the way Hongjoong had. 

“They punish you,” Seonghwa adds. 

“Is that what you’re doing then? Punishing San?” 

Seonghwa looks down at the bed he’d claimed for the night, snatching the damp towel from the bed. “No,” he denies. He’s just looking for him. The clan would be the one to dole out the punishment, not Seonghwa, although he admittedly isn’t quite sure he’s actually planning on dragging San back more than he’s just making sure he’s the first to find him. “If his sister finds him first he definitely will be punished though.” 

Hongjoong blinks at Seonghwa’s words. “His sister?” he repeats, the disbelief evident in his tone. 

Seonghwa glances over to him before he brushes past the fae to head for the bathroom. “Hold on,” Hongjoong says, following after him. “Why did you become a hunter? You never answered me.” Seonghwa spares him a brief look, evidently finding his question unimportant. “You sure seem like a hardass when you want, but even you’re scared of sending your partner back to his family, right?” 

“We’re working together for one reason. We have a job to do,” Seonghwa reminds him with a shake of his head like he’s scolding a child. “Try to stay focused.” 

“I am completely focused,” Hongjoong snaps at him, ripping the stupid towel from Seonghwa’s grip when the hunter continues to ignore him, puttering around the bathroom in a clear attempt to simply avoid the fae. “That’s why I’m asking. Because I’m one hundred percent focused on helping you find San.” 

“Then why do you need to know this?” 

“It’s important!” Hongjoong persists, struggling to come up with a reasonable explanation. “You...you’re clearly conflicted about what to do with San, right?” 

Seonghwa clenches his jaw, eventually tearing his eyes away from Hongjoong. “That has nothing to do with what you’re asking,” he points out, and the rest of Hongjoong’s argument dies on his lips at that point. “Tell me why you’re asking or get out of my way.” 

The fae purses his lips together, staying silent. Rolling his eyes, Seonghwa takes the towel from the redhead’s hand, not quite as harshly as Hongjoong had done to him, but the gesture is less than polite. He tosses it onto the sink counter before pushing his way past Hongjoong again. “You look like him,” the fae says quietly. 

Seonghwa freezes, brows furrowing together because he’s almost certain he misheard at first. Hongjoong almost hopes that the human hadn’t heard him, wincing at his own stupidity as he knocks his fist against his forehead as punishment. Why? Why the fuck would he say that to Seonghwa of all people? No luck though because Seonghwa asks, “I look like who?” 

Hongjoong curses himself as he bangs his fist against the doorframe of the bathroom door. “No one,” he tries to deny. 

“Your lover?” Seonghwa asks, the corners of his mouth pulling up into a smile. Hongjoong says nothing, biting down on his thumb as he spares the hunter a brief glance, quickly turning away because he can’t meet the human’s eyes. “The human you loved?” Seonghwa presses on. “Are you saying that I look like him?” 

Hongjoong turns his head to glare at him. “Yeah, you do. So what? The man I loved was gentle. He would never have been cruel enough to become a hunter!” 

Seonghwa raises his eyebrows, blinking at Hongjoong in disbelief. He’s not nice enough to just let it go though. “Not cruel enough? That’s a funny way of saying he was weak.” 

He jumps back when Hongjoong lunges for him, baring his teeth at the hunter. “Don’t you dare,” he warns the hunter. 

Unphased, Seonghwa takes a step towards Hongjoong, his lips curled back in a sneer. “I dare,” he declares. “You want to know why? Because I know exactly how weak and helpless he must have been. He was a human. Dating a fairy. Are you going to tell me that you stayed with him—loved him—until he grew old? Did you stay by his side until he passed away peacefully from old age? Is that how he died?” The volume of Seonghwa’s voice raises with each progressive question, and Hongjoong finds himself shrinking down into himself with each question because each of them are like a dagger sinking directly into his heart, twisting it painfully in a way Hongjoong hasn’t felt for decades. 

“I—” his voice cracks as old, painful memories are dredged up from somewhere deep in the fae’s brain. 

“How did he die?” Seonghwa presses him. 

The fae covers his head with his hands like he can block out all the hunter’s questions that way. “Stop,” he commands. “Just stop it.” 

“No. _You_ brought it up first, so tell me!” Seonghwa demands, unrelenting. “He didn’t die from old age did he?” 

Hongjoong shakes his head, shoulders tense. “No,” he admits, voice no higher than a whisper. How does Seonghwa _know_ though? 

“Figures,” Seonghwa laughs, shaking his head in disbelief. “He was in love with a fae. I’m pretty sure I know how that ended.” 

“You don’t know _anything_ ,” Hongjoong spits at him. 

“Don’t I?” Seonghwa answers, staring down at the fae who’s hunched himself down on the floor. “I know what fairies are like. Better than you probably think. He died young, didn’t he? Because your court killed him.” Hongjoong bites down on his lip hard enough to draw blood, his fingers digging into his hair painfully. “How young?” Seonghwa asks him. 

“Don’t,” Hongjoong chokes out, pressing his head against the bathroom door. “Just stop. You don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“I don’t know what I’m talking about?” Seonghwa echoes in disbelief. “I don’t? Fairies are cruel. They don’t just kill someone. They _torture them to death_. Is that what they did to him? Because you dared to love him. Because you put him in danger by loving him didn’t you? He was helpless. How would he know how to protect himself against the fae folk?” 

“Just stop it! You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Hongjoong demands, turning to lunge at Seonghwa, grabbing the human by the collar of his shirt. Seonghwa grabs him by the hips, turning the fae around to throw him onto one of the beds. 

“I don’t know much about fairies,” Seonghwa admits, towering over the fae on the bed. “But I know this much. I know how they kill.” His lips curl up to bear his teeth at the fae. There’s a short pause where they just stare at each other, equally as angry. “They did it to my sister,” Seonghwa finally spits out. 

The anger and spite leaves Hongjoong in one massive wave, and he visibly deflates at Seonghwa’s words. “What?” he asks. 

“You heard me,” Seonghwa snaps at him. “Fairies killed my sister. Slowly and painfully. I know exactly what they’re like.” 

Hongjoong sucks in heaving breaths, his chest rising and falling. Seonghwa’s sister? Seonghwa’s sister had been killed by fairies? Hongjoong sucks his bottom lip into his mouth, biting down on it. Well shit. Is that why he became a hunter?

  
  
  
  


Wooyoung comes home to a quiet and dark apartment, although he immediately knows that San is awake. He can see the human illuminated by the light of the TV. He’s sitting on the couch, a lump of blankets formed on his lap. For a moment, Wooyoung can’t tell what that lump is until he approaches the human and sees Yunho’s head resting on San’s lap. The human runs his hands through his brown locks, eyes finally tearing away from the TV screen to look up at Wooyoung. Judging by the steady rise and fall of Yunho’s chest along with his prone form, the mermaid figures he must be asleep. 

Taking a deep breath, Wooyoung feels out the couch with his hand, finding a spot that he can fit on so he’s not sitting on Yunho. He sits on the edge of the couch and looks around his apartment with narrowed eyes. Of course it’s difficult to really see the state of his apartment in the dark like this, but he’s still suspicious. Eventually his gaze turns to San, eyeing the human curiously. 

“You didn’t commit sacrilege on any of my furniture, did you?” he asks, jumping off the couch to eye it. Why are they covering it with a blanket over a werewolf? Wooyoung finds it suspicious. 

San sighs, lifting the remote up to mute the TV. “We didn’t fuck anywhere,” the human assures him, voice strained as his patience wears thin. “We didn’t fuck at all, so please calm down.” 

Wooyoung wipes his hands down on his pants and reluctantly settles back down. He glances at the sleeping werewolf with some curiosity. “Well,” he says, picking at the blanket draped over Yunho. “I’m just making sure. You know, in case I need to bleach or burn anything.”

“Nothing happened,” San stresses. 

Looking down at the werewolf in San’s lap, Wooyoung can’t help but think something must have happened between the two of them. When he’d left them this morning, they could barely even look at each other. Now they were all cuddled up on the couch together? 

“Okay,” the mermaid relents, tearing his gaze off of Yunho to look at the television again. “So then did you guys at least make up? Are you…” he hesitates, “back together?” 

San looks down at Yunho and his fingers threaded through the werewolf’s soft, brown hair. “We’re good,” he says. “We’re on good terms. We made up I guess, but we’re not...together.” They never really did get around to discussing their relationship and redefining what they were, but Yunho at least wanted to talk to him again. That was an improvement from before. 

Wooyoung drums his finger along the inside seam of his pants. “Well, that’s good,” he commends a beat too late. San nods his head in agreement. Yeah, it’s good. 

Another pregnant pause passes over the two of them, and Wooyoung finds his gaze drawn back to the werewolf, his curiosity about the man thoroughly piqued. “You asked Mingi a lot of questions about werewolves,” Wooyoung says slowly, eyes trail over the werewolf’s body. San stiffens up at the reminder, fingers freezing in Yunho’s hair. “You asked about packless wolves.” Wooyoung bites down on his bottom lip, hesitating to ask his question. As a mermaid, he’s not much of a pack creature personally, but he knows plenty of creatures are, and he knows the importance of them. Werewolves, vampires, fairies, they all formed packs or something like a pack, and their social order and hierarchy were important not only culturally but for their survival as well. “Is he packless?” 

San dips his head down to look at Yunho. His face is pressed to San’s stomach, but he seems more than comfortable, still fast asleep. He gives the smallest nod in answer, licking his lips when his mouth goes dry. “Yeah,” he reaffirms in a small voice as well. 

“Ah.” Wooyoung makes a noise of understanding, nodding his head. So this werewolf had been the reason San had been asking about it. 

“I didn’t really understand what that meant,” San explains. “I mean, I get it. You don’t have a pack, but I didn’t realize how bad that was until Mingi explained it to me.” 

“It’s something unique to werewolves,” Wooyoung remarks. “If a vampire clan or fairy court banish someone it’s just to get rid of them. Werewolves do it uniquely as their own form of execution. It’s cowardly, but it’s one of the ways they maintain their sense of community.” 

“So when Yunho’s pack forced him out, they were trying to kill him?” San asks. 

Wooyoung hums in agreement. “They were hoping someone would do it for them. Most wolves don’t last long outside of a pack.” He eyes the werewolf curled up on his couch. “He’s done a good job staying alive up until this point.” 

San presses his lips together, resuming his petting of Yunho’s hair. He has, San acknowledges, at least until San had nearly killed Yunho himself. 

“I don’t get it,” Wooyoung sighs, running his fingers through his hair and making it a mess as if to signify his own frustrations. 

San peeks over to him. “What?” 

“Why’d you break up?” Wooyoung asks. “You guys literally made up within 24 hours, so clearly you both love each other still, right? So why did you break up in the first place?” 

“Oh.” San shrinks down as best he can, hand moving from Yunho’s hair to his cheek. The warmth of the werewolf’s skin beneath his palm feels comforting. “Remember how I told you that I’d only ever hunted three werewolves in my life?” 

Wooyoung perks up. “Yeah. You said you killed two and the last one escaped—” Wooyoung tenses up, eyes snapping up to San who briefly meets his gaze before looking away. “Don’t tell me,” the mermaid begs. 

“I didn’t know,” San says, voice cracking. He’s not really trying to defend himself so much as he’s just telling the truth. “I didn’t know that he was a werewolf, and I didn’t know that it was him when I cornered him.” He stares down at the werewolf in his lap with a faraway look in his eyes. “I would have killed him, and I didn’t even know. That’s when I realized I couldn’t continue hunting under my family’s rules anymore. I needed to get out.”

“So he broke up with you because of that, huh?” the mermaid remarks, not knowing who he feels the most sorry for—Yunho, who had almost been killed by his own boyfriend, or San who was stupid and careless enough to almost perform the deed. 

“I almost killed him because I was blindly following the rules my family set for me. I don’t blame him for leaving me, and I don’t know why he came back.” He bends over, tilting his head down to press his head against Yunho’s. 

Wooyoung releases a quiet breath as he watches the human. He reaches out to pat him on the shoulder once. “Get some sleep,” he suggests before he pushes himself to his feet to head to his own room. “We’ll need to talk to Yeosang about removing the wards for werewolves, so you guys can stay at your place.” 

  
  
  
  


The whole car ride to the bar Hongjoong had picked out is unbearably silent. The fae keeps his eyes shut, too consumed by his own embarrassment to even try and engage with the hunter anyways. If Seonghwa minds, he seems to keep it to himself. He’s just as sullen as always. 

It’s all the worse when they actually make it to the bar, beginning with the fact that Seonghwa nearly sent the front doorman to the hospital when he refused to allow the hunter inside. Hongjoong should have figured as much. Humans, much less hunters, weren’t welcome here, so they had to strong arm their way in. Hongjoong can’t help but feel worried and out of place with a hunter by his side, but Seonghwa appears completely unbothered by the whole thing. 

He tells Hongjoong that he’ll get them something to drink and motions for the fae to find somewhere to sit. “What, anywhere?” the redhead asks, grabbing the hunter by the elbow to pull him back. 

Seonghwa reaches out to pry his hand off his arm. “Presumably somewhere useful,” the hunter suggests before he leaves. 

Sighing, Hongjoong glances around the bar. Right, they have a job to do. Hongjoong isn’t quite sure if it’s just in his nature as a fae or if the universe is pulling some kind of joke on him because he ends up at a table with fairies loitering everywhere, speaking animatedly to each other. Hongjoong squeezes his way in next to a petite little fae who spares him a quick glance before returning her attention to her partner. They don’t recognize him, so they wouldn’t engage him. 

More importantly though, Hongjoong reaches up past his shoulders, fingers straining along his back. Can they see them? His wings? Signifying that he isn’t a part of any court? He can barely even dwell on the thought before a glass is placed in front of him, and the table goes silent. 

Seonghwa doesn’t say anything as he slips into the seat next to Hongjoong, setting his own glass down. Hongjoong eyes the amber liquid in Seonghwa’s cup with his lips pulled down into a frown before he looks at his own cherry red drink. “It’s sweet,” the human tells him, motioning to the drink he got for Hongjoong. 

“A human,” the petite fae girl whispers next to Hongjoong. 

This was such a bad idea. Hongjoong should have just done this on his own and reported to Seonghwa later, but the hunter insisted on going, and now here they are. Seonghwa clears his throat, glancing up towards Hongjoong pointedly before he settles his eyes back down on the table, tilting his chin down. He looks subservient. So unlike anything the fae has seen up until this point, and—oh. _Oh_. Hongjoong understands where the human is going with this now. That’s why Seonghwa had insisted buying the drinks even though Hongjoong was worried he’d get something gross for him.

Hongjoong clears his throat, putting his faith into Yeosang’s glamour. He’d once been a high ranking member of his court. He could do this. “You’ll have to excuse me,” he says politely, smiling at the small fairy girl next to him when she jumps. “I do not usually find myself in a place like this, you see. I’m afraid to say I’m used to having help.” He motions to Seonghwa, who tips his head down politely when he’s addressed. 

“Oh!” The small fae girl seems more at ease. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. It’s not really a common thing around here.”

“I understand.” Hongjoong reaches out to press his hand down on Seonghwa’s head like he’s some kind of pet. It’s part of the ruse—to make them believe Seonghwa isn’t just some lost human wandering into their space but a fairy servant—but it’s also just to piss the human off. “I realize that I don’t keep him on as tight of a leash as I should.” He turns to smile at Seonghwa who returns it. Hongjoong can tell that it’s more of a sneer than a smile though. 

“What brings you all the way out here then?” she asks. 

Hongjoong turns back to face her, his hand dropping from Seonghwa’s head. “Ah, well, you see I’m looking for a mermaid I have business with.” 

“A mermaid?” She echoes, tilting her head to the side. “This is a seaside city, so I’m afraid there’s many of those.” 

Hongjoong hums thoughtfully, thinking of where to go from here. All he knew was that Yeosang had a mermaid friend out here. The warlock had refused to disclose any further information on San or his mermaid friend. “I’ve been looking for a stray werewolf,” he says, ignoring the way Seonghwa tenses up next to him. He knows what he’s doing and the human is just going to have to trust that. “He’s been causing some trouble to my court, and, to make matters worse, he’s been frolicking around with a human. I heard that this mermaid could help me find them.” 

She hums, nose curling up in distaste. “Sounds burdensome, messing with werewolf affairs like that. Those brutes don’t often listen to reason. You should be careful not to step on any toes there.” 

“It’s not a concern,” Hongjoong assures her. “I’m just here trying to gather some information.” 

“I see.” She leans forward to glance at Seonghwa. “Well, I’m afraid I can’t help you much. I don’t believe I know of anyone you speak of, but you should be careful. There’s a rumor going around right now that a hunter might be hunting in our city.” 

Hongjoong actively represses the urge to glance over to Seonghwa who thankfully keeps his lips shut and his body language neutral. It couldn’t have been Seonghwa they were talking about; they had just gotten here. Was it San? Hongjoong thinks it makes sense even if Yeosang had stressed that San was trying to abandon his life as a hunter. “Are hunters not active here?” Hongjoong asks. 

“No, not really,” the fae girl tells him. “We don’t really like humans, but we don’t want to cause problems with them either. It’s hard, though, when one of us turns up dead.” 

“A fairy?” 

“No,” she shakes her head, “a vampire.” 

“Hey, are you talking about the vampire that went missing?” Both Hongjoong and Seonghwa turn in their seats to face the woman who spoke. Seonghwa tenses up in his seat before he forces himself to relax when he eyes the vampire before them. Hongjoong doesn’t have such a reaction though, smiling up at her. She’s beautiful in her velvet black dress, lips a bright red. 

“I guess there are hunters here too,” he remarks. 

She looks over to him, then Seonghwa, but before Hongjoong can assure her that Seonghwa is under his influence, she says, “No. We’ve done our best to maintain decency with the humans here so that hunters aren’t needed. And the vampire clans in particular have done their best to keep hunters at bay.” The fae girl makes a face, quickly turning away when the vampire looks at her. “The incident with the missing vampire had nothing to do with hunters. He had an altercation with a close friend of mine, and he paid for it.” 

“Oh.” Hongjoong clucks his tongue. They’re going nowhere. 

She brushes her long, black hair over her shoulder. “I never would have thought a mermaid stood a chance against a vampire on dry land,” she smiles at the thought, and both Hongjoong and Seonghwa perk up. 

“A mermaid?” Hongjoong asks. 

The vampire hums, crossing her arms over her chest. “He owns a bar on the north side of the city.” 

“Can I ask what bar?” Hongjoong presses. 

She turns to face him, smiling in a way that shows off her pearly white teeth, looking every bit the predator she is. “Hmm. I can in exchange for a little taste of your human there.” She nods towards Seonghwa who freezes, fingers digging into his thighs. Hongjoong is just as shocked by the request, glancing towards the human. “Just a little bite,” she assures him, reaching a hand out to touch the human’s cheek. 

Fearing a real possibility of a brawl breaking out, Hongjoong politely catches her hand in both of his, drawing her away from Seonghwa. “I’m sorry, but he’s my human,” he says with a polite smile. 

She returns the smile, just an upward curl of his lips, but pulls back without a fight. “No fun. You fairies are so possessive,” she remarks in a sigh. “Alright. I understand.” She tells them the name of the bar without much of a fuss after that, even detailing how to get there. 

Hongjoong thanks her before turning back around in his seat. He pauses just as he does so, eyes locking onto a fae who pulls away from Seonghwa’s amber colored drink just as the human turns back to the table. Hongjoong clenches his jaw as he stares at the glass, a whole assortment of emotions from anger to fear flaring up in his gut at the audacity of the fae. How dare he? Right in front of Hongjoong no less. 

Seonghwa reaches for his drink, and Hongjoong nearly reaches out to snatch it from the human’s hands. He only holds back because Seonghwa sets his drink aside rather than bringing it up to his lips to take a sip. The fae pulls his hand back, a sense of relief washing over him when Seonghwa appears to abandon his own drink. “Should we go?” Hongjoong suggests before he catches himself. “Let’s go,” he commands this time, hopping out of his seat and pulling the human up with him. 

Seonghwa looks up at him but allows the fae to pull him out of his seat. “We have work to do,” Hongjoong determines as he more or less drags the human out of the bar, only releasing him once they’re outside. 

Seonghwa brings his arm up to massage his wrist, frowning at the tight grip the fae had used on him. “Even if we go now, it’s late. The bar will likely be closed by the time we get there.”

“Then we’ll go tomorrow,” Hongjoong snaps at him, refusing to look back at the human. He marches in the direction of their car, leaving the human behind. 

Seonghwa narrows his eyes, glaring at the fae’s back. “What’s wrong with you?” 

Hongjoong finally pauses to look at Seonghwa over his shoulder. “What do you mean?” 

“You’re irritable for no reason.” 

Something snaps inside Hongjoong, and he lunges towards the human, reaching out to fist his fingers into his shirt. “Do you have any idea what just happened? Do you know what one of those fairies tried to do to you?” he tears into Seonghwa, shaking him when the human just stares at him oddly. 

“What are you talking about?” Seonghwa asks as he tries to dislodge Hongjoong from his shirt. 

“That fae!” Hongjoong exclaims. “He put something in your drink! He would have bound you with that if you had taken even a sip.” 

With a grunt, Seonghwa finally pulls the redhead’s hands from his shirt, shoving the fae away from him. “Calm down,” the human advises him. “Do you really think I was going to eat or drink anything in that place? I’m not stupid. I wasn’t going to touch anything anyways.” 

Hongjoong shrinks back a little at Seonghwa’s words. He’s surprised even though there’s no real reason for it. Of course Seonghwa wouldn’t be so careless. He was a trained hunter. He’d only been acting his part by getting drinks. Why would Hongjoong think he’d actually be stupid enough to consume food a drink in a bar run by his kind? Running his fingers through his hair, Hongjoong scolds himself for even bringing this up. Of course Seonghwa knew better. What was the point of trying to scold him like that? 

“Why are you still upset?” Seonghwa asks. 

The fae shakes his head. “No, it’s nothing.” 

Seonghwa cocks his head to the side and places his hands on his hips. “It’s clearly something,” he argues. Hongjoong grinds his teeth together, annoyed by the human’s childish argument. “Don’t tell me you were actually worried about me going under the influence of a fae?” 

“I wasn’t worried about you!” Hongjoong snaps, his anger receding just as quickly as it had come. “I was just—worried.” Fuck, he’d just denied that. “I mean, because you said it happened to your sister before.” 

“It’s because it happened to her that I’d never make the same mistake,” Seonghwa grits out.

“Right. Of course, you’re right. You trained as a hunter after all.” Yeah, so there had been no need to worry about Seonghwa like that. It had been Hongjoong’s mistake. 

The ride back to the hotel is just as tense and silent as before, although this time the silence is more a result of the thoughts filling Hongjoong’s head rather than the awkwardness between them. Seonghwa seems content with the silence as well which is great because it means they don’t have to discuss what had just happened, but awful because it left Hongjoong to fester in his own thoughts. 

Seonghwa appears so comfortable with the silence that he surprises Hongjoong by saying, “Thank you.” Hongjoong startles at the words of gratitude, looking at Seonghwa in surprise. The human briefly meets his gaze before elaborating, “For being concerned—” Hongjoong scoffs. “Even if it wasn’t necessary.” 

“I wasn’t concerned for you!” Hongjoong denies. “It’s just that’s how they got him too.” He freezes up as soon as those words leave his mouth, and he glances at Seonghwa, praying he hadn’t heard. 

“Your human lover?” Seonghwa asks. Hongjoong hisses. Of course he wouldn’t be so lucky. “So I was right about fairies killing him.” Hongjoong bites down on his thumb, turning in his seat to stare at his window. “He could have known better,” the hunter remarks. 

“No, he couldn’t have,” Hongjoong mumbles, his lips trembling. “It was my fault.” 

Seonghwa doesn’t say anything at first, slowing the car down to a stop at a red light. “What? Are you saying you killed him?” 

“You have his face, but he was nothing like you.” 

Seonghwa tries not to roll his eyes even though Hongjoong isn’t paying attention to him. It just feels disrespectful somehow. “So you keep saying.” 

“He was accepting. He didn’t think anything of the fact that I was a fae, and I was so eager to make him a part of my community. My culture.” He pauses, staring at the passing scenery as Seonghwa steps on the gas again. “I stupidly thought he’d be safe with me. I didn’t think anyone would dare to do anything so long as I was there with him.” 

“But they did,” Seonghwa concludes. “Someone slipped him something, and he drank it.” 

“He was bound to the court after that,” Hongjoong finishes. He looks down at his legs, running his hands over his jeans, trying desperately to shake the memory from his head. “You’re not wrong, you know. The way we kill our victims is a long and cruel process. I knew what would happen to him at that point, and there was nothing I could do. Not even my position in the court would save him.” Seonghwa parts his lips but doesn’t know what to say. He figured as much yesterday. He just hadn’t anticipated how stupid both of them had been. “So I killed him.” 

Seonghwa chokes on his own spit, fingers tightening around the steering wheel. He hadn’t expected Hongjoong to say that. “You killed him?” he asks in disbelief. 

“To spare him the pain of what would have happened!” Hongjoong defends. “What could I do? He was bound to the court. I couldn’t take him away from there. It was the only way to—” 

“I’m not criticizing you!” Seonghwa cuts him off. 

A blanket of silence falls over the two of them after Seonghwa interrupts him. Hongjoong is at a loss of words, and there isn’t much more Seonghwa wants to say. He thinks he’s had enough of learning about the fae. 

“That’s why I was kicked out. The Queen had looked forward to playing with him, and I took that away from her, so she banished me.” 

Seonghwa takes a deep breath. What can he even say in response to that? There isn’t much, so silence reigns over them again. At least until Seonghwa pulls the car into the hotel’s parking garage. “I think I would have appreciated it if someone had done that for my sister,” he remarks, cutting the engine after he pulls into a parking spot. “I wish someone would have put her out of her misery.” 

Hongjoong winces, unbuckling himself and quickly dashing out of the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen I'm not saying that their new album influenced me to downplay some of the yunsan angst in favor of them just making out but Fever gives me too many feels and I cry. SUE ME OKAY? 
> 
> I think there should only be one chapter left of this. I think. I hope :(


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> San is scared to have a real conversation with Yunho. Yunho is horrified when Seonghwa finds them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how I struggled so hard to pull back and tie up their relationship at the end of this but I did. And it shows. And I'm sorry. I really tried lol. I really went from loving this and having fun to absolutely hating this ;n; This was the climax I had been planning for but the resolution, like, really got away from me. It probably didn't help that while I planned out and detailed many parts of the story my ending idea never seemed to evolve past "two stupid dorks realize they really love each other after all and are super gross" jesuuuuuuuuz 
> 
> I wanted to get this out before I move in a few days because I'm moving far away to live by myself to start a new program and I am sure I will be sad and lonely when I first move before I finally get to start school. I'm not done writing! (I think) but I expect that I'll be much slower to post things in the future, so I wanted this mess to be finished before then. So here you are! Have a hot mess :( 
> 
> Also, are you guys adding me on PSN??? If you are, I'm not mad but PLEASE let me know if you did because I am stupid and really scared of most people, and I'm not used to adding people back who I haven't met in a game or something. idk, I just got a couple of requests from people who it says they're atinys and idk how else you could have found me cuz of this username awhefjf. Let me know if you added me so I know it's not bots. I'm pretty sure you guys aren't bots, but I just wanted to make sure

“Do you have to go to work?” Yunho pesters San for what feels like the hundredth time. 

Sighing, the human tilts his head back to stare up at the night sky. “I have to work,” San argues. “Speaking of which, what about you?” He squints at the werewolf who turns his head away, pretending not to know what San is referring to. “Don’t you need to go back to work?” 

Yunho puffs his cheeks out, running his hands down his shirt as he looks down at himself. “I mean, yeah,” he confirms. “I’m still digging into my vacation hours and sick time.” Yunho never really did use any of his sick time or vacation leave. Maybe it had something to do with his werewolf biology. “I was hoping to go back with you.” 

With a rueful smile on his lips, San looks over to the werewolf. “I can’t go back,” he tells Yunho. The werewolf frowns at him, and he reaches out to grab San’s hand, pulling him back when he continues on his way. San turns to face him and releases his breath when he sees the obvious question in Yunho’s eyes. “I can’t, Yunho. My family will find me.” 

“I can protect you from them,” Yunho declares. “Besides, it’s not like you’re safe here either. Your family is still looking for you.” San sucks his bottom lip between his teeth, biting down on it. Looking down at their hands, Yunho swallows thickly before brushing his thumb over San’s knuckles. “I only knew you were missing because Seonghwa came to ask me about you.” 

“Seonghwa, huh?” San isn’t too surprised. His father always did trust Seonghwa with the tasks he deemed important. It’s just a shame it had to be his old partner. San doesn’t know if he has it in him to run away if Seonghwa manages to find him. “If anything, that’s more reason for you to go back. If he does find me, and you get caught up in my mess—” San sucks in a breath. He doesn’t want to think about it, well aware of what his family would do to Yunho. “Anyways, stay away from him. He might be looking for me now, but he’ll turn his attention to you and your friend eventually. He hates any kind of failed hunt.” 

“That’s why I’m saying I’ll protect you,” Yunho says. “ _You_ qualify as one of his hunts now.”

“Don’t say you’ll do things that you don’t want to do,” San tells him, pulling his hand out from Yunho’s grip. 

He continues on his way to the bar, only pausing when Yunho says, “Why would you think that?” San turns to face him, a few paces ahead of the werewolf. “I offered, so why would you think I don’t want to?” 

San is momentarily at a loss for words. Why else would he say that? Maybe it’s because he’d nearly killed Yunho. Maybe it’s because Yunho had told him that he’d been scared of San, _terrified_ to learn he’d been living under the nose of a hunter. Maybe it’s because now San understands exactly what it means for Yunho to be packless, and that he’s still very much fighting for his survival every day without the protection of a pack. He’s his own first priority as he should be. It’s probably a combination of all three of these things, but San merely shrugs his shoulders and says, “It’s just a feeling I have.” 

“I’d rather if you just listened to what I’m saying instead,” Yunho pleads as he strides forward to catch up with the human. 

“You broke up with me because you were scared,” San reminds him, startling when the werewolf grabs him by the hand again. 

“I already told you that it was my mistake.” 

San squeezes the werewolf’s hand, allowing Yunho to pull him towards the bar. “I don’t think you made a mistake,” he says, breathing in deep when Yunho stumbles over himself. “Even if you give me the benefit of the doubt, my family is still dangerous. They’d really kill you, Yunho.” 

Yunho pulls him forward when San starts to lag behind. The human yelps, worried when he spies the severe expression on Yunho’s face. “That’s why I’d feel better if you stayed close to me.” 

“Yunho,” San tries to smile and lighten the mood, “you don’t have to worry about me. Even if they found me, it wouldn’t be the worst—” 

“Then why are you running?” Yunho cuts him off. “If you weren’t worried about them, if being caught by them isn’t the worst thing that could happen to you, why are you running from them?” San opens his mouth before promptly shutting it again. He has no real answer to that. “And you were attacked by a vampire recently. How are you going to ask me to back off?” 

“Yunho—” 

“You know, I realize now that you and I are really kind of the same.” The werewolf squeezes his hand before looking down at them. Yunho’s hand practically dwarfs the human’s, and a warm feeling blooms in the werewolf’s chest at the thought. “You’re human, so you always have to watch out for my kind, but you also can’t turn to your family to keep you safe anymore. That’s what it’s like to be packless, you know.”

San is quiet for a long moment, unable to muster up anything in response to Yunho’s words. He’s oddly touched by the sentiment but also a little horrified by Yunho’s determination. 

“Humans aren’t like that though,” San argues. “We don’t depend on family or packs or anything.” 

“You do though.” 

San sighs, slipping his hand from Yunho’s when they reach Wooyoung’s bar. “I have to go to work,” he says, urging Yunho to drop the subject. 

The werewolf pouts but doesn’t push. “We’ll talk later,” he suggests. 

San nods his head, not at all looking forward to that conversation. “Yeah, sure. Later,” he agrees with a tight smile. 

“I’ll come by after closing to pick you up,” Yunho calls before San can head in. 

The human pauses with the door open, turning to face Yunho. He tries to repress his own smile, but he can’t. No matter the tenuous status of their relationship San can’t deny the way his chest tightens at the werewolf’s words. Nevertheless, his brain tells him that he shouldn’t just accept Yunho’s offer. The werewolf has no obligation to him. “Sleep if you need to. Wooyoung can walk me home.” 

“I don’t want him to walk you home. _I_ want to walk you home,” Yunho whines. 

San sighs, weak to the werewolf’s pleads. “Okay,” he relents easily enough. “I just want to let you know Wooyoung can do it if you need to sleep.” 

Yunho shakes his head, stubbornly refusing to give in. “It’s not like I have anything to do or anywhere to be. I’ll be back after closing.” He waves San off, waiting until the human ducks into the bar, quickly disappearing into the crowd before he finally walks off. 

  
  
  
  


Hongjoong is visibly anxious. Seonghwa won’t claim that he knows the fae that well—they hardly know each other—but even without Hongjoong saying anything, the hunter is fairly sure he’s nervous. However, about what Seonghwa can’t say. He tries not to dwell on it too much, but the silence between them feels oddly tense and uncomfortable. Seonghwa shifts in his seat. Even after some of their previous fights, he’s never really felt this uncomfortable sitting in silence with the fae. 

Sighing, Seonghwa clears his throat to draw the fae’s attention to him. Hongjoong doesn’t initially respond to him, staring out the window in a daze, so Seonghwa clears his throat louder, nearly sending himself into a coughing fit, but it finally catches the fae’s attention.

“Are you okay?” Hongjoong asks. 

Seonghwa miserably fails to suppress his coughing. “That’s what I was going to ask you,” he grumbles once the cough has faded. 

“Huh?” Hongjoong blinks at him and points to himself. “Me?” 

“Yes, you.” Seonghwa glances at the fae with a frown. Who else could he possibly be referring to? 

“I’m fine,” Hongjoong says. “Why wouldn’t I be?” 

Seonghwa licks his lips and wonders if he’s being an idiot right now. “It appears to me that you’ve suddenly had to dig up some old memories. Painful ones.” He glances to the fae who quickly turns away. “So I was wondering if you were okay.” 

“You actually care about my feelings?” Hongjoong asks incredulously. “You’re capable of caring about how a fae feels? I’m touched. Maybe you really are under my influence somehow.” 

Seonghwa purses his lips together, not at all pleased by Hongjoong’s attempts at jokes. “I was just trying to be nice.” 

“I don’t need you to be,” Hongjoong bites out. “I don’t _want_ you to be.” He bites down on his bottom lip, eyes falling down to his lap. It feels like some kind of cosmic punishment in Hongjoong’s opinion. Seonghwa had shown up out of the blue with a face Hongjoong was all too familiar with. It had felt like his luck finally turned after the hell he’d been through up until that point. He thought, perhaps, that the universe was finally forgiving him for his past mistakes, allowing him a second chance. And then San had shown up, supposedly working that night according to Yunho, and Hongjoong had known something was wrong. 

Maybe the universe hadn’t forgiven him yet. Maybe they’d felt the need to punish him further, to put before him the spitting image of his lover in the form of his enemy. It really felt like a punishment—a reminder of all the ways Hongjoong had failed the first time. He doesn’t want Seonghwa’s courtesy. 

“Look—” 

“Are you sure about this?” Hongjoong cuts in, desperate to change the subject. “We could have come earlier. Are you sure about coming before closing?” 

Seonghwa presses his tongue against the inside of his cheek but doesn’t fight Hongjoong’s desire to change the subject. He pulls the car into a parking spot along the curb about half a block away from the bar. “If you want to interrogate him it’s best to do it when there won’t be a lot of people around. That way he doesn’t have an excuse to leave.” 

Hongjoong slips out of the car quickly. “I guess that’s true.”

Wooyoung just sent San into the back to finish up his dishes because they’re always eager for a quick closing when the door of the bar swings open. The mermaid perks up when he sees them. There’s still a few patrons hanging around until the last minute before closing, but he hadn’t expected anyone new to be coming in. San’s going to be pissed. 

Wooyoung heads towards the door to the back, popping it open just enough to spy San in front of the sink, shoving a new load of dishes into the washer. “Hey, a couple more people just walked in. If you just finish up back here you can go when Yunho comes. I’ll take care of the rest.” 

San looks at him after closing the door of the dishwasher, wiping his hands down on his pants. “Huh? Oh! Don’t worry. I’ll stay until everything is finished.” 

Wooyoung doubles back to the human at his words. He’d popped in just to tell San that. He hadn’t expected San to offer to stay longer. “You don’t have to. I know Yunho is coming to get you. You should go home with him.” 

Shaking his head, San insists that he’ll help. “Don’t worry about it. Yunho can just wait in the dining room until I’m done.” He opens the dishwasher when the cycle finishes, grunting as he pushes it up. Wooyoung cocks his head, perplexed by San’s behavior. As great of an employee as he is, San had a tendency to throw fits and be generally cranky whenever closing didn’t go smoothly. Why is he suddenly okay with staying later? 

San slides the finished load of dishes from the washer before again wiping his hands down on his pants. He motions to the back and says, “Well, I’ll finish closing up back here. Unless you want me up front?” 

“No,” Wooyoung shakes his head. “I’ll take care of it.” He leaves San in the back, still a little suspicious of the human’s attitude, but quickly heads over to the bar just as the two new customers make their way towards him. Wooyoung immediately puts on a smile although it falters when he realizes that the two of them are bickering with each other as they make their way towards him. 

Great. Wooyoung really hates dealing with angry couples. It’s about fifteen minutes to closing, and they’re probably going to drink themselves under a table and cause a scene. Wooyoung’s seen it enough times to tell. 

The smaller man elbows his companion before he practically leaps for the bar, and Wooyoung squints at him. His glamour shimmers around him, but it’s so strong that the mermaid can’t determine what he is before his partner sidles up next to him. 

“Are you the owner of this place?” Wooyoung turns his gaze up to the taller man. Human. It’s easy enough to distinguish when he’s not trying to hide it. 

“I am,” he confirms. “Can I get you something?” 

“An old fashioned,” the human says before his partner can even talk. He glances down at the shorter man next to him and grumbles, “God knows I’ll need it.” 

With a nod, Wooyoung ducks down to grab a small, stout little glass to make the drink in. As he busies himself with the drink he can’t help but listen in on their conversation, glancing over every once in awhile just to see if he can figure out what the shorter man is. He’s wearing a glamour, so he must not be able to blend into human society without one. Wooyoung would guess fae based entirely on his physique and stature, but his glamour is so strong. Perhaps he’s a warlock? 

“Let me handle this,” Hongjoong hisses. 

“You’re being combative and irritable for no reason,” Seonghwa tells him. “You won’t get anything from him that way.” 

“Mermaids are weak—” 

“Lone fairies are weaker,” the human snaps at him. 

“Well, then I guess it’s a good thing I’m with you,” Hongjoong finishes his sentence with a squeak when Wooyoung comes back with Seonghwa’s drink in hand. The mermaid stares at the redhead as he slides the drink across the counter to Seonghwa, and Hongjoong turns his head away bashfully. Had Wooyoung overheard him? Swallowing down his pride and doubt, Hongjoong leans forward against the bar and says, “I’m looking for a werewolf.” 

Wooyoung tilts his head but doesn’t even have the opportunity to say something before the human speaks. “Stop,” Seonghwa hisses at him, taking a small sip of his drink. 

“Why? You’re not saying anything,” Hongjoong argues. 

“You need to calm down.” 

“I’m perfectly calm!” 

Wooyoung’s eyes flit back and forth between the two of them as they argue, struggling to suppress a smile. 

Hongjoong makes a face as he eyes the drink in Seonghwa’s hand, anger flaring when the human takes another sip. “You were so cautious yesterday, but now you’re just going to swallow that down no problem?” 

The human is so visibly annoyed by his partner that Wooyoung can’t hold in his laugh anymore. His giggle bursts forth from his lips, sounding choked before he allows himself to just laugh. It draws the attention of the couple, and Wooyoung tries to wave them off. “I’m sorry,” he apologizes. “It’s just you guys are kind of cute.” Their reactions only humor Wooyoung even more. The human’s expression turns severe as he clams up while the redhead sputters in disbelief. 

“Excuse me? We’re not— _us_?” He motions to the two of them as he stares down the mermaid. “No. No, we’re not dating!” 

“It’s okay,” Wooyoung tries to assure them, taking care to smile at Hongjoong. “You’re not the first I’ve seen date a human.” 

“We’re not dating,” Hongjoong grits out. “I mean, he’s a—” Seonghwa reaches out to place his hand on the back of Hongjoong’s neck, squeezing down hard in warning. The fae quiets without protest. It’s best that they don’t let slip that Seonghwa is a hunter. It would do them no favors. “We’re co-workers,” he amends, immediately pulling a face at his own lie. 

“We’re looking for a human that Yeosang left in your care,” Seonghwa explains, watching as the mermaid’s expression falls. 

Wooyoung looks between the two of them suspiciously while he internally curses San. Goddamn, why was the human so popular? First a werewolf and now these two? “Why?” he asks, looking up towards the human. “You’re looking for another human? Don’t you humans have your own people to find those for you? The police or something?” 

“Yeosang asked us to help him,” Hongjoong pipes up. The mermaid looks at him, not entirely convinced although he appears open to the suggestion. “He suspects hunters might be closing in on this human, you see.” Wooyoung’s gaze snaps back to Seonghwa, and the hunter bites down on his cheek as Hongjoong grimaces. Well, shit. That didn’t work. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Wooyoung says stiffly, antsy to get to the back and warn San. “Anyways, we’re closing soon, so if you don’t mind…” He trails off when he sees the door open behind the duo, Yunho’s tall figure walking through the door. His eyes drop back to Hongjoong. The fae had said he was looking for a werewolf. They were looking for a werewolf and a human who definitely sounded like San. 

Wooyoung’s lips twitch in annoyance and he tries to subtly shake his head, begging Yunho to leave and come back later. Unfortunately Yunho doesn’t seem to notice Wooyoung’s panicked attempts to tell him to leave. Instead he looks around the bar and asks, “Where’s San?” 

“Fuck,” Wooyoung curses at the same time that Hongjoong and Seonghwa turn to look at the werewolf. 

Yunho freezes at the sight of Hongjoong while the fae jumps up from his seat. “Yunho,” he calls in relief, rushing over to the werewolf to wrap his arms around him in a hug. Yunho accepts it stiffly, not exactly disappointed to see Hongjoong, but understanding that this doesn’t bode well for him or San—especially not when he catches sight of Seonghwa over Hongjoong’s head. 

Seonghwa? 

Yunho’s heart drops, stomach twisting into knots. Why the hell is Hongjoong with Seonghwa? Why is Seonghwa here?

The hunter twists back to face the mermaid, dropping all pretenses as he reaches out to grab Wooyoung by his collar. “Where’s San?” he demands now that he’s certain Wooyoung must know. 

Woooyoung does his best to remain unphased, eyes drifting over to Yunho who meets his gaze over the top of Hongjoong’s head. The mermaid makes sure that he has his attention before looking back up at the hunter. He wants to make sure Yunho knows. He needs the werewolf to understand what he needs to do and to know that Wooyoung has his back in this case. Staring up at Seonghwa, Wooyoung wordlessly lifts his thumb up to point behind him. 

The human and werewolf move in unison. Yunho seizes Hongjoong by the waist, spinning him around with enough force that he loses his grip on the werewolf, and he quickly pulls away from the fae, making a break for the backroom. Seonghwa does the same, but Wooyoung meets him at the end of the bar and throws himself at the human, leaning all his weight against him and pulling him down to the ground. Seonghwa grunts, tripping over himself at the unexpected weight. 

Yunho quickly breezes past him, throwing open the door to the back room with a bang loud enough that San startles, whipping around to face him with a mop in hand. Yunho can see the wire of his earbuds disappear into his pocket as San pulls out one earbud so he can hear the werewolf. “Yunho, I told you Wooyoung could walk me home. You should get some rest.” He seizes up when Yunho rushes towards him, tearing the mop from his hands and throwing it to the floor. “Hey! I’m not done mopping yet—”

“We need to go,” Yunho says, taking hold of San’s wrist and tugging him towards the back door. 

The human stutters and tries to dig his heels in, spewing excuses about needing to help Wooyoung close the bar. Really, he’s just not looking forward to the conversation they need to have. He’s scared. Then he hears a voice from the front of the restaurant demand, “Let go of me!” and he freezes.

Yunho tugs on his arm again, and this time San moves without resistance. “Come on,” the werewolf urges, shouldering open the back door and pushing San out the door. 

Hongjoong rushes over to Seonghwa as soon as he regains his footing, attempting to pry the mermaid off of the hunter. Seonghwa tries bucking him off, pulling Wooyoung’s hands away from his waist, but the mermaid only grabs onto his shirt instead, pulling him down that way. 

The hunter demands Wooyoung to release him, but the mermaid stubbornly hangs on. He knows he won’t last long against a hunter let alone a hunter and a fae, but he needs to buy Yunho and San as much time as he can manage. “You better let him go,” Hongjoong warns him. “He’s a hunter.” 

“I know that,” Wooyoung snaps at him. “I’m not stupid.” 

“Hongjoong,” Seonghwa calls to the fae. He points to the door to the backroom. “Stop them!” 

Hongjoong hesitates before figuring Seonghwa is unlikely to lose to a mermaid, and Yunho—Yunho should be his first priority. No, he is the fae’s first priority, and he abandons the hunter to run for the back room. “Yunho,” he calls for the werewolf, coming up short when he sees the back room is empty. There’s a mop lying on the floor, a bucket not too far from it, but neither San or Yunho are there. His eyes quickly land on the back door. “They ran,” he calls back to Seonghwa just as the hunter manages to slip a knife from his pocket. 

Wooyoung quickly pulls away after that, holding his hands up in surrender when Seonghwa rears on him. The hunter advances towards him while the mermaid backs away, but Hongjoong grabs Seonghwa by the elbow, pulling him back before he can cause the mermaid any serious harm. 

“Don’t waste your time or we’ll lose them,” the fae advises. 

Seonghwa breathes in, holding it for a second, before releasing his breath. “Fine,” he agrees, following after Hongjoong when the fae leads him into the back. 

“Wait!” Wooyoung scrambles after them. 

“Wait,” San pants, nearly falling to the ground when he stumbles over his own feet trying to keep pace with Yunho. His chest burns. Had he always been this out of shape or was it because of his injuries? Maybe he just wasn’t fit compared to a werewolf. “Yunho, slow down. I can’t keep up with you.” 

“Do you want me to carry you?” He immediately bends down, but San reaches out to smack him on the back of his shoulder. 

“That’ll just slow both of us down.” 

“No, it won’t. I can carry you,” Yunho insists. 

“What’s the point!” San cries out, bending at the waist to place his hands over his knees. Yunho reaches his hand out to squeeze the human’s shoulder. “Seonghwa found me.” He could recognize his partner’s voice easily. What good would running do them at that point? 

“San, I can help. We just need to find a place to hide long enough to call Yeosang.” 

“No,” San shakes his head. “If you get caught with me now do you have _any_ idea what will happen to you?” 

“So what do you want me to do?” 

“Run!” San flails his arms the way he might to scare off an animal, but Yunho doesn’t budge. “Run like you did last time. You were right about it keeping you safe, you know. I don’t know why you tried to come back.” 

Yunho flinches when the headlights of a car momentarily blind him, but it quickly passes, pulling off towards the curb they’re standing on. “I’m not running,” Yunho says, glancing over San’s shoulder. He expects Hongjoong or Seonghwa to come around at any moment. They don’t have time to waste. “I’m not running away by myself this time,” he amends, reaching out to wrap his fingers around San’s wrist again. 

“Yunho,” San whimpers, reaching out to try and pull the werewolf’s hand from him, but he can’t because Yunho forces him to start running again. He doesn’t want Yunho to get caught up in this mess anymore. He knows what will happen to the werewolf in that case, but he can’t get the words out, choking up on them every time he tries to get them out. “Yunho, I don’t,” he wheezes out, stumbling a little. “I don’t want you to die.” 

Yunho falters and comes to an abrupt stop. San nearly crashes into him, holding his hand out to buffer himself. “What did you say?” the werewolf asks, turning to look at him. 

“My family will kill you,” San says, trembling all over at the thought, “and I don’t want you to die. You should run. You were right to do it the first time. Don’t doubt yourself.”

“And you?” Yunho asks. “What will they do to you?” 

San sighs, squeezing his eyes shut as he tries to catch his breath. “They won’t kill me at the very least,” he says. 

“And that’s supposed to comfort me?” Yunho demands. 

“It’s not supposed to mean anything for you,” San corrects. “We broke up, Yunho. You’re not my boyfriend anymore, so don’t worry about me or my business, hm?” 

“San—” Yunho can’t even finish his thought because the doors of the parked car just a little ahead of them suddenly open, and fear floods the werewolf’s senses as the smell of steel and something bitter assaults his nose. Hunters, he thinks as his pupils dilate. Had Seonghwa brought back up? No, he wouldn’t be with Hongjoong in that case.

Yunho reacts on pure instinct when he shoves San away, trying to distance the human from the danger, before he turns to face his opponent. Yunho grabs the hunter by the throat, squeezing tight, just as the hunter brings his hand down as well, a stinging pain radiating from Yunho’s neck. The werewolf freezes although his grip remains strong on the human’s neck. Has he been stabbed? With what? Silver? No, the wound doesn’t burn. Instead a feeling of cool numbness quickly spreads out from the wound, consuming him completely in a matter of seconds. His knees buckle, vision blacking out as he struggles to stay upright. A bitter smell emanates from the hunter, and Yunho’s lips curl up when he realizes what he’s been attacked with. 

Wolfsbane. 

Non-fatal but fast acting. Yunho doesn’t have a chance to fight back. San. He thinks about the human frantically as he struggles to keep himself conscious for as long as possible. He wanted to protect the human. He has to protect the human. “Run,” he wheezes. “Seonghwa might protect you from them.” Seonghwa had told him that he was the only one trying to help San. Yunho doesn’t exactly know what Seonghwa meant by that, but he at least figures he can put his trust in the hunter if there’s no one else. He might not help San run, but he would protect him from his family, right? 

“Yunho!” San cries out, completely ignoring his advice. Yunho feels his hands on his shoulder and neck, the human breaking his fall when he finally collapses. “What did you give him?” he demands. 

“Just some wolfsbane.” San freezes at the voice, fingers trembling against Yunho’s neck. He forces himself to turn around and face his sister. Haneul smiles down at him, arms crossed over her chest. She’s completely decked out in hunting gear. “It’s not enough to kill. Just enough to keep him incapacitated for a while. A long while. We have a long car ride back home after all.”

“I’ll go with you,” San tells her. “I’ll go with you willingly, so just let him go.” 

“No,” she says. “It’s not like you have a choice in the matter anyways.” 

“Haneul!” San snaps at her, lips curling up into a snarl. Haneul just nods to her partner who pulls out a small baton, extending it with a controlled snap of his wrist. San jumps up when the other hunter lunges for him, lifting his arms up to try and protect himself as the hunter brings the baton down on him with a crack. 

Hongjoong rounds the corner just to see someone dump Yunho’s limp body into the back of a car. “Stop!” he yells, pushing himself to pick up his pace. Seonghwa and Wooyoung aren’t far behind him, although Seonghwa comes to a quick stop when his eyes land on the two figures hovering by the car. They both looked over when Hongjoong had called for them. 

The man quickly ducks into the car, sliding into the driver’s seat, but the woman smiles, lifting a hand to wave before she, too, slides into the passenger seat. 

“Shit,” Seonghwa curses. 

“San! Where’s San?” Wooyoung asks, looking around wildly for any sign of the human. The car pulls away from the curb, but Hongjoong still tries to catch up to it. 

“He’s in that car,” Seonghwa tells him, placing his hands on his hips as he tries to catch his breath. Damnit. She’d been following him this whole time. The fae whips around to look at him, expression desperate, and Seonghwa sighs, running his fingers through his hair. 

“What do we do?” Hongjoong asks, running back to Seonghwa. 

“What can we do? Haneul found them first.” 

Hongjoong blinks at him. It takes him a moment to process the defeat in the hunter’s expression because he can’t accept it himself. He won’t. “So what? That’s it?” he demands, voice shrill. 

“She has them!” Seonghwa reminds him, matching Hongjoong’s volume. “And she has a head start! What do you expect me to do?” There’s no way Haneul would allow him to catch up. She’d take them directly to their house, and there was nothing Seonghwa could do. 

“Something! Anything!” Hongjoong shrieks at him. Seonghwa grunts when Hongjoong brings his hands down against his chest, fingers twisting into his shirt. “I know you don’t think you have much to worry about because San is a hunter, but they’ll kill Yunho.” His voice cracks at the end, and Seonghwa has to look away. “He’s my only family.” 

Seonghwa sucks in a breath, at a loss of what to say. There’s nothing he can say that wouldn’t be insensitive. What more can he do but simply apologize? He figured he threw Haneul off when he took care of one of her informants when he should have been even more cautious, but he hadn’t been. He relaxed instead. Perhaps it had costed them. 

“What about you?” Hongjoong sniffles as he holds back some tears. The hunter doesn’t know what to make of him. He’s never seen a fae cry before. He can’t question Hongjoong before the fae continues though. “I know you lost your sister, but the rest of your family must be gone too, right? I don’t believe anyone with a family would willingly become a hunter.” Seonghwa’s breath hitches, and he freezes at the accusation. “Isn’t it the same for you? Isn’t that why you killed that hunter? To protect San? You wanted to find him first for a reason.” Hongjoong’s fingers tighten in the hunter’s shirt, threatening to tear a hole into it. He can see that his words have an impact on Seonghwa. “Are you just going to let them hurt him?” 

Seonghwa releases a long-suffering breath, eyes closed in thought. Hongjoong bites his lip, anxiously waiting for Seonghwa to say or do something. Finally the hunter reaches up to extract the fae’s fingers from his shirt. “Wait here,” the hunter tells him. “I’ll bring the car around.” 

Hongjoong feels his chest lift with hope as he watches Seonghwa turn and sprint off to where they parked the car. There’s still a chance, he assures himself. Seonghwa wouldn’t bother if there wasn’t, so there’s hope. 

“Hey!” The fae jumps when the mermaid’s shrill voice echoes down the street. He’s yelling at Seonghwa’s back. “I’m coming too!” He’d nearly forgotten about the mermaid. 

Hongjoong reaches out for him, placing his fingers gently against Wooyoung’s elbow just to draw his attention. “Call Yeosang,” he advises the mermaid when he turns to face him. “We might need him.” 

  
  
  
  


Wooyoung digs his fingers into either shoulder of the two front seats as he leans forward across the console only to grunt when Seonghwa takes another curve just a little too fast. The hunter had shot him an odd look when he scrambled into the backseat of the car but hadn’t commented on his presence so far. Wooyoung would be lying if he said the hunter didn’t intimidate him, though, so he stays closer to the fae in the passenger seat. 

“So, who’s Haneul?” he asks. 

Hongjoong blinks when he realizes that he doesn’t know, turning his gaze to Seonghwa who tightens his hold on the steering wheel. “San’s sister,” he answers. 

“ _That_ was his sister?” Hongjoong asks in disbelief. 

“His own sister kidnapped him?” Wooyoung adds. 

Seonghwa glances at the mermaid through the rearview mirror, and Wooyoung shrinks away from him. “He’s not exactly on good terms with his family. He did run away if you both forgot.” 

“Yeah, but his own sister,” Wooyoung mutters. He glances between the human and fae next, lips pulling down into a frown. “And you two?” he asks. “Why are you guys working together?” 

“You seemed to have mistaken us for a couple earlier,” Seonghwa reminds him, causing Hongjoong to sputter. 

Wooyoung sniffs and turns his head towards the fae. “I was clearly wrong. My bad. So why?” 

Seonghwa doesn’t answer, evidently leaving the answer up to Hongjoong. The fae clears his throat when he realizes that Seonghwa doesn’t plan to say anything. “We agreed to help each other,” Hongjoong answers carefully, looking back at the mermaid. “I want to make sure Yunho is safe, and Seonghwa wants the same for San.” 

Frowning, Wooyoung’s eyes slide back over to Seonghwa, doubt eating at him. “Is that so?” he challenges. 

“You don’t believe me?” Seonghwa shoots back. 

Wooyoung’s expression pinches at the question, a scoff on the tip of his tongue. “Am I supposed to? San was a hunter who just got kidnapped by his own sister who I presume is a hunter, and you are a hunter. Sorry if I don’t exactly follow whose side you’re on.” 

“I can tell you that I couldn’t care less about a werewolf’s life, so the only reason I’m doing this is for San” Seonghwa bites out. Hongjoong bites down on his tongue, not wanting to provoke the hunter, but also half-convinced that the human had just given a bold-faced lie. 

“Fine.” Wooyoung settles down into the back seat, allowing silence to blanket the three of them for a brief moment. “So what exactly is our plan here?” he asks. “Are we just going to drive like maniacs until we catch up?” 

“Try not to get carried away,” Seonghwa scolds him. “We won’t just catch up on our own, and even if we did what good would it do?” 

“Well, then what exactly are we going to do?” Wooyoung demands. 

Hongjoong’s heart drops as dread slowly crawls its way up his spine. Surely Seonghwa wouldn’t be so reckless. “Don’t tell me we’re going to confront them in front of the hunters,” he begs. Wooyoung stiffens up in the back seat at the prospect as well, and Seonghwa knocks his head back against his head rest. Christ, he never pegged supernatural creatures as such cowards. “If they get that far there would literally be no point. We’re _not_ doing that,” he assures them. 

“Then what?” Hongjoong presses. 

The corners of Seonghwa’s lips pull down into a frown. “We depend on them,” he says. 

“What?” 

“We depend on San or Yunho or both,” Seonghwa repeats. 

“Are you serious?” Hongjoong asks. 

“We don’t have a choice,” Seonghwa argues. “The best we can do is make sure we’re there to help. Besides, I know San.” He flexes his fingers around the wheel before squeezing it tight. “He’s reckless and a fighter.” Wooyoung hums in agreement. “And I was there the day after you stopped us. He was destroyed by what had happened. He loves Yunho. I find it hard to believe he’ll go down without a fight when he knows what’s at stake.” 

Hongjoong covers his face with his hands, suppressing a sigh of defeat. Seonghwa has a point though. He knows Yunho would do the same, but he still can’t help the despair. The two of them would be at a disadvantage. Would they really have the opportunity to fight back? He nearly jumps out of his skin when Seonghwa reaches out to pat him once on the thigh. 

“Have faith in them,” the human advises. “Without that we have nothing.” 

  
  
  
  


San comes to quietly—as quietly as he can manage. It’s like his body still knows that he’s in imminent danger even when his brain sluggishly catches up. He blinks his eyes open, feeling like his heart jumps into his throat when he sees Yunho in front of him. The werewolf is clearly unconscious, positioned on the floor of the car behind the driver’s seat. Wolfsbane was keeping him subdued, and San doesn’t know how long it will keep Yunho down. San reaches out for him with weak arms, pausing when he looks down to see the cuffs on his wrists. 

Gritting his teeth, a dull throb shoots through his head, and he finally gets a feel for the sticky sensation on his face. He lifts his cuffed hands up to prod at his temple, frowning when he brings his hand down to see small flecks of dried blood on his fingers. Looking up, San can see his sister’s profile although she doesn’t appear to have noticed that he’s regained consciousness. 

With small movements to avoid bringing attention to himself, San reaches out with his cuffed hands, fingers gently prodding at Yunho’s cheeks. The werewolf doesn’t wake beneath his touch, and San does his best to suppress his fear. His breath still hitches a little, terrified that he might be alone right now, but he can see the slight rise and fall of Yunho’s chest. He’s still alive. Of course he is. They wouldn’t want him dead before they reached the family mansion. 

“Yunho,” he calls out in the smallest voice he can muster. He glances over to his sister, scared that she might have heard him, but her attention is focused on her phone. “Yunho,” he tries again, shaking the werewolf in spite of the futility of it. Yunho had been poisoned with wolfsbane, and there wasn’t much San could do about it other than to just wait for it to wear off. 

His eyes drift down lower, and he bites his lip when he sees silver cuffs encircling Yunho’s wrist. San trembles unable to clamp down on his fury when he spies the reddened skin underneath the silver cuffs. He reaches down with his own bound hands, fingers lightly running along Yunho’s burned wrist. His stomach twists at the sight. This would only be the beginning if they don’t figure out a way to escape.

“Yunho, please,” he whispers, his voice cracking just the slightest bit. 

“Don’t waste your time, Sannie.” He flinches at his sister’s voice, lifting his eyes to meet her gaze. “We gave him enough wolfsbane to keep him knocked out for awhile.” As if just to prove her wrong, Yunho’s eyes flutter although he still doesn’t wake. Haneul frowns and turns to her partner. “We’ll need to pull over at some point. I think I’ll need more wolfsbane from the trunk.” 

San wraps his hands around Yunho’s neck as if he might shield Yunho from his sister that way. “Now?” the man asks. 

“No, but eventually,” she says, eyes trailing back over to her brother. She narrows his eyes at San’s body language. She nods her head towards the werewolf on the floor of the car. “Who is he?” she asks. 

“No one,” San answers. 

She scoffs. “Do you honestly expect me to believe that after you basically whimpered out his name repeatedly? Why are you caressing him if he’s no one?” 

San snatches his hands away from Yunho’s skin like he’s been burned. “He’s got nothing to do with us,” he insists. “Let him go.” 

“Like hell,” Haneul snorts, narrowing her eyes at San. Surely he isn’t so naive to think that she would just let a werewolf go. “He’s a werewolf. He’s a werewolf who was with you. Father will be most interested to know who he is.” San stiffens up at the threat, and she suppresses any feelings of guilt. “What the hell are you doing with a werewolf anyways?” 

“Please, Haneul,” San begs, completely ignoring her question. “Please let him go. He’s got nothing to do with us.”

“If that’s true why do you care so much?” 

“Why don’t you care!” San finally raises his voice at her. She actually startles back, evidently shocked by San’s outburst. “Is this how Mom raised you?! Father will kill him, Haneul, and the only thing he’d have done wrong is that he knew me. Mom would—” 

“Don’t _talk_ to me about Mom, San!” Her breathing comes in labored as she stares at her brother. “Mom would be disappointed in me?” she scoffs. “Is that what you want to tell me? As if you have any room to talk, fraternizing with a werewolf. What would Father think?” 

“Who cares about what he thinks?” San hisses back at her, struggling to push himself up into a sitting position. “He hardly even thinks of us as his own kids. Why the hell should I care what he thinks?” 

“You should care,” Haneul advises him. “If you care about your wolf friend at all, you’ll care about what Father thinks. It could mean the difference between life and death.” 

San curls his fingers into fists, nose curling up in distaste at her remarks. “His life is forfeit if you take him there. You know this.” 

“So what?” she challenges, eyes dropping down to Yunho. “He’s just a werewolf.” 

San almost throws all caution to the wind, ready to just reach across the console and attack her, but Yunho’s eyelids flutter again, his eyes just barely opening. With a strangled little gasp, San throws himself back down on the seat so that they’re eye level, cupping Yunho’s face with his palm. “Yunho,” San calls for him, shaking the werewolf when his eyes droop back down. 

Haneul pulls a face when she realizes the werewolf is awake, and she turns to the man driving the car. “Pull over at the next rest stop you find. The mutt’s awake.” 

San ignores her in favor of taking stock of Yunho’s current state. “Yunho, how are you? Can you move?” 

The werewolf’s head lolls along with the turn of the car, and San grimaces when he sees the effort it takes Yunho to shake his head. “Weak,” the werewolf rasps out, nose scrunching up in pain. “Hurts.” San’s eyes drop down to the cuffs around Yunho’s wrist, the metal slowly destroying the skin of Yunho’s wrist. Biting down on his lip, San slips his fingers between the cuffs and Yunho’s wrist. The metal binds are not quite small enough to properly fit Yunho’s wrists and allows San’s fingers just enough space to slip through. 

Yunho hisses when his warm fingers touch his burning skin, his fingers twitching as he endures the pain before he forces himself to relax. As uncomfortable as his fingers feel against Yunho’s damaged skin, it’s much better than the silver, so he forces himself to relax in San’s hold. 

“Why didn’t you run?” Yunho asks. 

“Why didn’t you?” San shoots back. They speak as quietly as possible, San casting his sister nervous glances every few seconds. “You’ve spent your entire life running from hunters, right? You should have listened to me.” 

“They would have taken you,” Yunho argues. “I had to try.” 

“I was never in danger of _dying_ ,” San hisses under his breath. He tightens his grip on Yunho enough that the werewolf grimaces, and the human immediately relaxes his hold. “But you—” his breaths pick up as dread washes over him. Yunho is going to die. He’ll die if San doesn’t do something. 

“But I never would have seen you again,” Yunho points out. San sighs, hanging his head over the seat. It’s not that Yunho is wrong, but it feels so mundane compared to the reality of their current situation. 

“Stop talking,” Haneul barks at them from the passenger seat. San lifts his head up to glare at her, she returns his glare just as fiercely. 

“You wanted to know who he is?” San challenges suddenly. Haneul falters at the question and blinks at her brother, but San returns his attention to Yunho. Leaning forward, San nearly loses his balance as he presses his lips to Yunho. The kisses isn’t so much romantic as it’s just a short and sweet display of affection. It clearly throws Haneul off though, and San manages to tell Yunho as he pulls away, “Brace yourself.” 

The werewolf nods his head in a small motion while San peers up at his sister daringly. “Are you serious?” she sputters in shock. 

“Yes. That’s why I’m asking you why you’re doing this to me,” San grits out. 

“I—” She actually seems at a loss for words, eyes moving over to Yunho who sighs and presses back against the seat he’s been propped up against, hugging his cuffed hands around his bent knees. “How could you love a werewolf? You know what Father—” 

“I don’t care about Father,” San cuts her off. “Mom taught me better.” 

Haneul releases a breath, looking down at her lap to avoid San’s gaze. “I’m sorry,” she apologizes, actually sounding remorseful about it. “I’m sorry, but I have to bring you back. It’s the only way for me to actually become a hunter.” 

San pushes himself up right, making a show of clutching his head as he rearranges his legs, boxing Yunho between them. “You know what the difference between you and me is?” he asks. 

She sniffs. “That you don’t want to be a hunter?” she tries. San had run away like a coward while she had desperately tried to hunt him down as a way to prove herself. 

“It’s that you’re doing things for yourself while I’m doing something to protect Yunho,” San chides her. Then he lunges forward before Haneul can even ask what he means. He throws his arms over the headrest of the driver’s seat, throwing the short chain of his hand cuffs over the driver’s head. Then he spreads his arms apart as best and can and pulls back, choking the man with his cuffs. 

The car swerves as the man instinctively reaches up to try and pry San away from him. He quickly moves one hand back to the steering wheel, regaining control of the car as he chokes around the ligature San has pressed against his neck. 

“What are you doing?” Haneul shrieks at him. San just grunts, pulling back on the cuffs with enough force that they bite into the soft skin on his wrists. Haneul pulls out a small knife, holding it up as a threat. “Stop it,” she demands. 

“No,” San grits out. “Stop me if you can.” 

She hesitates before finally bringing down the knife. Yunho reaches up past San’s arm to grab her by the wrist, wincing when the silver rubs against his already raw skin, clenching his teeth as he musters up what little strength he has to hold her back. “Let go of me!” she demands, struggling against Yunho’s hold. 

“What’s the plan?” Yunho pants out as his fingers clamp down around Haneul’s wrist tighter. 

“Working on it,” San grunts, unrelenting with his pressure. 

“Stop it!” Haneul screams at him. “He has to _drive_.” 

“Well, I don’t want him to drive,” San snaps back. The driver begins to go slack beneath him, the lack of oxygen making it harder for him to maintain consciousness. San figures he loses consciousness when his hand falls away from the wheel, body going completely limp. The car begins to veer to the side, and Haneul desperately reaches out with her free hand to grab the wheel. It doesn’t help, though. She grabs it a little too hard, pulling it down, and the car makes a sharper turn, flying off the highway and down a short hill, crashing into a field. 

San grunts when his head knocks forward into the headrest of the driver’s seat, his head throbbing from the rough treatment, but he locks his knees around Yunho’s body, trying to help the werewolf stay as still as possible as the car rolls violently through the field. Haneul cries out as well, her body jostling from the force of the crash. The car only makes it a short distance further before crashing into a fence. San swears he bites through his tongue when the car comes to an abrupt halt, his neck snapping forward painfully. 

In the wake of the crash, San takes a moment to catch his breath, grateful that the car didn’t flip at the very least. It’s oddly quiet in the car. It feels surreal. Carefully, he loops his binds back over the driver’s head and looks down at Yunho. “Are you okay?” he asks. 

“Fine,” the werewolf wheezes, peering up at San. “You’re bleeding,” he points out, heart sinking at the sight of blood trickling down the side of San’s face. 

The human lifts his hands up to touch the side of his head, fingers pressing into warm and sticky blood. “I think it’s from before.” He suspects he reopened his previous head injury. They don’t have time to worry about it. Both the driver and Haneul are quiet and still, but he’s sure they’re just passed out. Untangling himself from Yunho, he crawls over the console, struggling with his bound hands as he searches his sister’s pocket. He finds a key in one of her pants pockets and slips it out before he tries opening the door. 

The door sticks, not opening easily, and San has to knock his shoulder against it a few times before he’s able to force it open. He tumbles out with a little cry of alarm. Yunho reaches for him like he wants to help, but there isn’t much he can do. The werewolf also struggles to crawl his way out of the car, and San helps him out, nearly falling over again in the process. 

“Wait,” San says once Yunho is on his feet. He’s unsteady—still fighting off the effects of the wolfsbane—but he’s on his feet. Fiddling with the key he stole from Haneul, he brings Yunho’s cuffed wrists up. He squints down at the little keyhole holding them together, struggling through his injuries to fit the key into the lock before quickly pulling the silver cuffs away from the werewolf. He throws them to the ground as Yunho sighs in relief. His wrists are an angry red, raw from the burn of silver, and San resists the urge to reach out and massage his injury because it wouldn’t help. 

“We have to go,” San says, grabbing the werewolf by the elbow instead. He brings Yunho around before moving his hands to Yunho’s back. It’s easier to support the werewolf this way. They're in the middle of nowhere, and who knows when Haneul or her partner will wake up? What are their chances? San banishes those thoughts as quickly as he can. This is their chance. This is probably their only chance. If Haneul catches them again he knows that he won’t be given another opportunity. 

Between San’s head injury and Yunho’s poisoning, climbing up the hill back to the road seems to be the biggest challenge. Yunho almost immediately falls forward, gritting his teeth as he tries to force his body to move. He’s not helped by San who leans over him, head hanging as he tries to will away the throbbing ache on the side of his head. 

He doesn’t even notice when one of the doors of the car is kicked open, Haneul rolling out onto the ground with a grunt. “San!” She calls for him, bracing herself against the car as she pulls herself to her feet. San looks over when she yells his name, heart skipping a beat in fear. 

“Go!” he urges Yunho, trying to push him up the hill with hands on the werewolf’s waist. 

Haneul stumbles towards them, still leaning against the car as she goes. Yunho struggles to crawl up the hill, his limbs still feeling heavy and his mind fuzzy. Despite this, his senses are still sharp, and he perks when he hears a second door open. Shit, both the hunters were conscious? He glances over to the wrecked car, watching as the man slips gracelessly out of his seat. His heart freezes, blood running cold when he recognizes a familiar weapon in the hunter’s hand. 

He slides down the hill, back into San when he sees the gun in the hunter’s hand. “Yunho!” San squeals at him, trying to push him up, completely oblivious to the current threat in front of them. 

The hunter lifts the gun up, aiming the barrel at them. From this distance, Yunho can’t possibly tell who he’s aiming at, but he refuses to take any chances. Mustering up what little strength he has, he pushes himself off the hill and into San, tucking the human as tightly as he can against his body as he knocks them over into the grass. He shields San as best he can, squeezing his eyes shut as the sound of a gunshot rings through the night. 

  
  
  
  


Seonghwa chews on his index finger. Anxiety claws at his ribs and heart as the endlessly abandoned road greets them. He’s sure that Haneul would come this way. She wouldn’t waste any time taking weird backroads. She’d want to return with San and Yunho as quickly as possible, but with each passing minute Seonghwa begins to doubt more and more. 

The car is filled with a tense silence. None of them are willing to break it by saying anything. Even the chatty mermaid is solemn and subdued as he stares out the windshield from the middle seat. It would be a long car ride from here back to the hunters’ headquarters, but Seonghwa can’t help but worry. Had he made a mistake? Was he wrong to gamble and give Hongjoong and Wooyoung a sense of hope? Why did he feel obligated to help them anyways? 

“There,” Hongjoong says so suddenly that Seonghwa startles in his seat. He’s pointing off to the side of the road, eyes narrowed as he’s clearly able to see something Seonghwa can’t. The human squints, Wooyoung following his lead, but it still takes a moment before Seonghwa catches sight of headlights. Seonghwa pulls off to the shoulder of the road, gradually slowing down as he tries to make sense of what he’s seeing. 

Unlike him, Hongjoong doesn’t appear to have any difficulty figuring out what’s happening. “One of them has a gun,” he breathes out, breath hitching as he unbuckles himself.

“Who?” Seonghwa asks, but Hongjoong doesn’t even wait for him to bring the car to a stop before he opens the door and jumps out, flying down the hill towards what Seonghwa can now clearly tell is a crashed car. Not a second too soon, apparently, because the hunter flinches at the sound of a gunshot. Wooyoung quickly scrambles across the backseat as well to follow Hongjoong out, completely ignoring Seonghwa’s protest. The hunter hastily brings the car to a stop, throwing it into park and not even bothering to cut the engine before he follows the fae and mermaid. 

Hongjoong tunnel visions in on the hunter holding the gun. The smell of gunpowder and silver is heavy in the air, fueling the fae’s anger. He doesn’t allow the hunter a chance against him, crashing into the man’s side to bring him down and prevent him from lifting the gun against him. He sinks his teeth into the hunter’s neck, satisfied when the man cries out. The fae poison kicks in quickly, and it’s not long before the hunter is little more than a nuisance, although Hongjoong snatches his gun away from him, flinging it off into the distance just in case. 

Then he turns around, eyes surveying the scene before him. His heart seizes, chest tightening, when he sees San hunched over someone, his anguished cries filling the fae’s ears. Hongjoong hardly acknowledges them, though, instead focusing on the person he’s hunched over. “Yunho,” he whimpers, feet carrying him towards his friend before he can even think about it. He completely overlooks the second hunter heading in the same direction, his mind entirely clouded with the need to make sure Yunho is okay. 

San instinctively winces when he hears the sound of the gun fire, eyes squeezed shut as he expects a blossom of pain to spread from wherever he’s been hit, but he feels no such pain when he lands back on the grass. Blinking his eyes open, he stares up at Yunho who is grimacing in pain, his eyes closed tight as sweat beads across his forehead. 

“Yunho?” San calls for him quietly, a sense of dread slowly consuming him from the inside out. 

“Silver,” the werewolf gasps, reaching down for his side as he collapses on the ground next to San. The human sits up in alarm. “They’re silver bullets.” 

“Where?” San demands. His eyes fall to Yunho’s side where the werewolf is clutching at his abdomen. “Oh, my God,” he cries out in alarm. Silver. Yunho had been hit with a fucking silver bullet. He needed to get it out before it had time to fester in Yunho. Unlike wolfsbane, silver was a deadly poison to werewolves. If they waited too long it would spread. 

He can’t help but sob at the thought. He’d done all this to save the werewolf. He wouldn’t lose him to a silver bullet. He couldn’t. “Behind you,” Yunho rasps out, but his warnings fall on deaf ears. San is entirely focused on Yunho’s wound. He grabs the hem of Yunho’s shirt, lifting it up to reveal the wound just as fingers dig into his hair and yank him back. 

San shrieks when he’s pulled back, arms flailing wildly for something to anchor himself on. Yunho reaches out with a slightly bloodied hand, fingers catching San by the palm—the cuffs getting in his way. He flinches when the human’s fingers dig a little too hard into his own injured and sore wrists, but it’s the blood that ultimately causes his grip to slip, and the werewolf makes an alarmed noise when Haneul drags San away from him. He struggles to crawl after him, but the various poisons he’s been subjected to up until this point basically render him immobile. 

He watches helplessly as San is pulled away from him at the same time Hongjoong rushes up to the werewolf, dropping to his knees beside him. “Where?” the fae asks, running his hands down Yunho’s body to check him over. “I smell blood. Were you shot? Where?” 

Yunho doesn’t even acknowledge him, his attention entirely focused on San. Hongjoong locates the wound easily enough. “San,” the werewolf whimpers as Hongjoong peels back his shirt enough to reveal the bullet wound in his side, just above his hip. Hongjoong clenches his teeth at the sight. He needs to do something about the wound. 

“Let go!” San cries out, twisting around in his sister’s grip, fingers scrambling to pry her hand from his hair. His scalp burns along with the throbbing in his head, but he grits his teeth and desperately struggles to free himself. Yunho. He needs to get back to Yunho. They have to expel the bullet from his body. 

“Look what you did!” she accuses him, pulling him down to the ground with a particularly hard tug. San grunts as he falls back, immediately trying to push himself back up, but Haneul crawls on top of him, holding him down. “This wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t been so reckless!” 

“You would have killed him,” San argues, reaching out to grab her by the collar of her shirt. They grapple with each other, San rolling them over, but he has a hard time with his cuffed hands. Haneul easily throws him off, lunging forward to hold him down. 

“He’ll die anyways,” she asserts. “He’s _one_ werewolf, San.” 

San’s blood boils at her words, legging digging into her ribcage as he flips them back over. “Well, he’s the one werewolf who matters to _me_. You can’t just take his life because it’s trivial to you!”

“And what about me?” she shrieks at him, grabbing her younger brother by the throat to lift him off of her. San chokes, leaning back up on his haunches to relieve the pressure. “You took _everything_ from me. I should have been a hunter too!” 

“I didn’t do jack shit to you,” San spits out, crying out when Haneul shoves him onto his back again, head knocking painfully against the ground. “Father took that away from you. Not me.” 

“Not you?” she scoffs in disbelief. “We weren't even that different. No, you’re _worse_ than me,” she declares, glaring down at him. “Look at you. You can’t even kill a werewolf. You ran away from who you are. You’re _in love_ with a werewolf.” 

San frowns at her, not feeling the least bit ashamed by her accusations. “Mom would beat your ass if she could hear you now,” he says. 

“Mom’s dead, San.” 

“So?! Just because she’s gone doesn’t mean you should discard what she taught you.” 

“She was wrong!” she yells at him. “That warlock killed her! He was supposed to help her, and he killed her.” 

“That’s just what Father said,” San argues. “Of course that’s what he said! She was sick, Haneul! Yeosang didn’t kill her. He did his best to ease her pain, and he was the only one there for her when she passed!” His chest heaves as he finishes his rant. 

He remembers now. He hadn’t thought much of it when Wooyoung had asked him about Yeosang. Did he know the warlock before? San had denied it, but it gave him pause. He’d thought back to when he’d first met the warlock—or when he thought he first met the warlock at least. The antlers had caught his attention. A distinct memory of Haneul teaching him how to make a flower crown coming to mind. They’d hung them up on a pristine pair of antlers like the warlock bore as a mark of his parentage. 

The memory meant nothing to him until the mermaid had questioned him, but he’d dismissed the thought. It hadn’t solidified until Yeosang last visited, his concern for the hunting feeling out of place in the seeming void of their relationship. Still, San speaks confidently, sure of himself in this at least. 

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she finally says. 

San bares his teeth, ready to fight back, but someone barrels into her side, knocking her over. San quickly scrambles to his feet, looking over to his sister as she grunts and thrashes against the body on top of her, and he freezes when he recognizes Wooyoung’s lilac hair. 

“Wooyoung!” he gasps the mermaid’s name. “What are you doing here?” 

“Saving your ass, what else?” the mermaid jokes even as he struggles to hold Haneul down. He yelps when she throws him off and rolls onto her feet, knife drawn. Wooyoung scrambles back towards San when she pulls her knife, and she takes a step towards them before faltering, gaze staring off towards something behind the two of them. 

San reaches out with his hands to help Wooyoung to his feet, glancing back over his shoulder to see what Haneul is looking at, and he does a double take when he sees Seonghwa. The older man doesn’t acknowledge him though, his attention entirely focused on his sister. “It’s over, Haneul,” he tells her. 

“Let me take him back,” she pleads her case. “If I bring him, Father will—” 

“You don’t know that,” Seonghwa criticizes. “You’ve been working this entire time off the assumption that he’ll give you leniency.” 

“What’s the harm in that?” 

“What’s the harm?” Seonghwa looks pointedly at San, bleeding and barely able to stand on his own two feet. “He’s your _brother_. Does his safety mean nothing to you?” 

She hesitates, her words failing her as she looks between Seonghwa and her brother. “It’s not that. I just—” she huffs, glaring at Seonghwa. “How are you any better? You’ll take him back with you anyways!” 

Seonghwa meets his partner’s eyes, frowning when San averts his gaze to the ground. With slow, deliberate steps, Seonghwa makes his way over to the younger man, stopping just in front of him and inserting himself between the human and the mermaid. “Will you fight me?” he asks. “If I take you back with me?” 

San pauses, gently tugging at his cuffs, before he gives a tiny shake of his head. “Just leave Yunho alone,” he begs. 

“I will,” Seonghwa assures him. 

The relief that washes through him is so strong that San sinks back to the ground, releasing a heavy breath. Haneul follows suit, her shoulders hunching down in defeat. Taking a deep breath, Seonghwa bends down to wrap his arms around San’s waist, and the younger doesn’t resist him, lifting his arms up to loop them over Seonghwa’s head. The elder doesn’t make a sound as he lifts San up, holding him close as he turns around to head back towards the car. 

Wooyoung snaps out of his visible daze at that moment and follows after the hunters. “Wait,” he calls, reaching out to grab Seonghwa before thinking better of it at the last moment. “You’re taking San?” 

Seonghwa doesn’t grace him with a response, heading straight for the car. He passes by Hongjoong still kneeling on the ground next to Yunho, but he purposefully ignores the fae, desperate to hurry past them. 

“Seonghwa.” The fae’s watery voice gives the hunter pause. Seonghwa’s eyes slide shut as he mentally curses himself for stopping in the first place. “Seonghwa, please.” 

He steels himself, his grip on San tightening. “Our agreement has been fulfilled,” Seonghwa says in a hard voice. “I don’t owe you anything else.” He forces himself to take another step forward, but Hongjoong’s pleas stop him in his tracks again. 

“Seonghwa, please. He’s _dying_.” 

Against his better judgement, Seonghwa turns his head to look down at the werewolf. His skin is pale, eyes squeezed shut to try and fight against the pain, sweat beading across his forehead, and his chest heaves like each breath he inhales causes him unbearable pain. Maybe it does. He knows that San is probably staring too, doing his best not to beg Seonghwa to let him go after he agreed to go with Seonghwa. He can tell by the way San digs his teeth into Seonghwa’s shoulder, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to keep himself quiet. 

“It’s silver. I have to get it out, but I can’t. I don’t have the tools. I—” Hongjoong’s babbles break off into a little sob. “Please, help me.” 

San’s fingers dig into his back, and Seonghwa’s resolve crumbles faster than he would like to admit. Even so, he continues to fight the urge to help. He technically did what Hongjoong wanted. Yunho is _his_ problem now, not Seonghwa’s. Wooyoung pipes up at the moment, doing nothing to help. 

“Don’t force yourself to be a villain just because you think you have to,” the mermaid mumbles. Seonghwa glares at him, mildly satisfied when Wooyoung shrinks away from him. 

Finally he makes a decision. “Hey, fishboy,” he says to the mermaid who stiffens up, afraid that he angered the hunter. 

Wooyoung bristles at the title. “My name is _Wooyoung_ —” 

“There’s a first aid kit in the trunk of the car. Grab it for me,” he orders, turning around to face Yunho. Gently, he lowers San to the ground next to the werewolf, frowning when the younger quickly scrambles over to his prone form, fingers brushing through Yunho’s sweat soaked hair. “And hurry,” Seonghwa calls out to the mermaid as Wooyoung scrambles back up towards the car, “if he dies it’ll be because you were too slow!” 

Hongjoong shuffles to the side when Seonghwa kneels down beside him, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand to avoid smearing any blood on his face. “Quit crying,” Seonghwa tells him, not unkindly. 

“I can’t help it,” he defends. “Can you blame me? Yunho is the only family I have left.” 

“It’s weird,” Seonghwa tells him. “Fairies don’t cry.” 

“We do,” Hongjoong argues. “Just because we don’t show it in front of humans don’t mean that we don’t.” 

“It’s still weird. Especially when you don’t need to.” Seonghwa looks up when Wooyoung runs back to him, holding his hand out for the first aid kit. “He’s a werewolf. He’ll heal up just fine.” He sets the first aid kit down beside him, flipping open the top to sift through it. 

“But the silver!” 

“It hasn’t poisoned him yet,” Seonghwa says as he pulls out a pair of thin, long tweezers. He bends down to look at the wound in the werewolf’s side. “And it’s not too deep. Hold him down for me,” he says to both Hongjoong and San. “This will hurt.” 

San drapes himself over the werewolf’s head, cradling him lovingly as he whispers words of encouragement to Yunho. Meanwhile, Hongjoong quickly scurries around Seonghwa to get to Yunho’s legs, pressing his weight down on them to hold him still. 

“You’ll be okay,” San whispers against Yunho’s forehead, brushing back his wet bangs from his forehead. Yunho opens his eyes to squint at him, reaching up to grasp San’s hand. He quickly squeezes his eyes shut again when Seonghwa digs the tweezers into his wound. “Hng! Mphm,” Yunho grunts, crying out weakly as pain sparks throughout his body from his abdomen. He feels it up his spine and all the way down to his toes. 

Seonghwa tries his best to be gentle as he grabs hold of the bullet embedded in the werewolf’s body, but it’s difficult when Yunho bucks against him, his chest expanding and contracting rapidly as his breathing picks up. Hongjoong and San do their best to hold him still though, and it only takes Seonghwa two tries to pull the bullet out, the tweezers covered in blood. 

Hongjoong cries in relief when he sees the bullet, hugging Yunho’s legs to his chest to reassure himself that the werewolf is fine. He’s going to be just fine. Seonghwa presses a gauze pad against the wound, taping it down with a couple band aids he finds in the kit. 

For a moment after that they’re all quiet. Hongjoong and San are completely absorbed in their own relief while Seonghwa leans away from the werewolf, tilting his head back to stare up at the night sky. He doesn’t know what to do now to be honest. It had all been so easy and clear before Hongjoong had begged him for his help. Now he isn’t so sure. 

Looking up at the sky, he doesn’t notice when Hongjoong finally releases his hold on Yunho, crawling his way towards Seonghwa. It isn’t until the fae is practically in his lap, arms wrapped around his neck and warm lips pressed against his own, that Seonghwa realizes he’s moved, and the hunter sucks in a sharp breath, hand coming up to steady the fae at the waist. 

He doesn’t push the fae away, though. He just holds Hongjoong by the waist, eyes slipping shut as he savors the feel of the fae’s lips against his. It ends almost as quickly as it started when Hongjoong pulls away from him, burying his face into Seonghwa’s neck instead.

“Thank you,” Hongjoong mumbles into his neck. Seonghwa shivers at the sensation, awkwardly patting the fae on the back because he doesn’t know what else to do. His mind is too muddled by the confusion the kiss left him with. 

“Oh my.” Hongjoong quickly scrambles off the hunter’s lap at the new voice, whipping around to stare up at Yeosang. 

“What took you so long?” Wooyoung complains, smacking the warlock on the arm. Only San and Yunho fail to acknowledge the warlock’s presence. San is still hunched over the werewolf, trying to wipe away his perspiration with the sleeve of his shirt while Yunho seems to struggle with just staying awake. 

“It wasn’t exactly easy to follow you,” Yeosang defends before he surveys the scene before him. “My goodness.” He looks down at San with a sigh, tutting to himself. “What trouble have you gotten into this time?” he muses. His gaze slides over to Seonghwa who looks away. The disappointment is evident in the warlock’s gaze, and Seonghwa feels bad even though he knows he shouldn’t. He did his best for god’s sake. 

“Will you take them somewhere safe?” he addresses the hunter, sounding uncertain. 

Seonghwa looks up at him before hesitantly nodding his head. “Our hotel—” he mutters. There was no point trying to take San back to his family right now. They could afford to stay one more night. 

“I’ll meet you there,” Yeosang says, stepping over Yunho’s legs as he makes his way past the five of them. 

“What are you doing?” Seonghwa asks in alarm as the warlock walks past them. 

Yeosang pauses, sparing the hunter a glance. “I’ll take care of Haneul,” he says. “She’s a good girl. She just needs some help. I owe her that.” 

“You won’t hurt her?” Seonghwa asks. 

“No.” He narrows his eyes at the hunter. “It might take me a few days to get her settled, however. Can I trust you to leave these guys in your care?” He nods towards Yunho and San. 

Seonghwa inexplicably fidgets beneath the warlock’s gaze. “Yeah,” he concedes. “I’ll keep an eye on them.” 

Yeosang smiles, seemingly satisfied with his response. “Good. I’ll check in soon. Keep an eye on Yunho. If he gets worse, contact me immediately.” Seonghwa obediently nods his head along to Yeosang’s requests, shoulders relaxing when the warlock turns away from him to make his way over to Haneul who’s still slumped down in the grass. 

Sighing, Seonghwa turns to Hongjoong who licks his lips and stares curiously at the hunter. “Help me get everyone in the car?” he requests. Hongjoong nods his, motioning to Wooyoung to grab San as he struggles to pick Yunho up, careful to avoid the werewolf’s wounds. For a moment, Seonghwa stays put on the ground, staring at the blades of grass before him. What is he doing, following the instructions of a warlock? He shakes his head as he picks himself up. It’s probably best not to think about it too hard. 

  
  
  
  


The hotel room feels decidedly more crowded with four of them sharing a room. Perhaps the one saving grace is that the mermaid, Wooyoung, doesn’t stay with them, opting to return to his own apartment, even offering to take San off their hands. A suggestion Seonghwa soundly rejects. He refuses to let his partner out of his sight for the time being, and, thankfully, San doesn’t seem all too interested in leaving, although that might have been due to the fact that he’s unwilling to leave Yunho’s side more than anything else. 

The werewolf has spent the past two days mostly asleep, recuperating from his injuries. The wolfsbane poisoning had worn off by that same morning, leaving him mostly lucid in the short periods of time he would wake up to drink some fluids, and the reddened skin around his wrists were slowly returning to a normal color. Seonghwa checked the bullet wound every day, twice a day to redress it and keep track of Yunho’s progress. 

San doesn’t leave the werewolf’s side either, the two of them basically claiming one of the beds without even a word of argument, leaving just one for Seonghwa to share with Hongjoong. The elder hunter hasn’t quite been able to decide if he finds his partner’s behavior endearing or not. 

Yunho finally stays up for an extended period of time on the third day, blinking his eyes open to a darkened hotel room, the sun not quite open yet. His body feels sore, and he remembers the bullet room with a start, hand coming up to prod at his side. He hisses when he presses against the wound, tilting his chin down to look down the length of his body. 

San stirs next to him, and Yunho forces himself to relax so as not to disturb the human. He has an arm draped across Yunho’s body, cheek pressed into the werewolf’s shoulder. Yunho squeezes his eyes shut. Every breath he takes reminds him of how sore his side is. It’s uncomfortable. 

He reaches across himself to run his fingers through San’s hair. It’s helpful to distract himself from the pain in his side, focusing instead on the human’s silky hair. San stirs again, curling into Yunho’s side before he stretches himself out, back arching as a little groan rumbles up from his throat. He pushes his head up into Yunho’s hand and blinks his eyes open. 

“Yunho?” he calls for the werewolf, his voice still gruff from sleep. 

“Go back to sleep,” Yunho murmurs. “It’s still early.” 

San hums, eyes slipping shut again. He lies like that for a moment, releasing a deep breath, before his brain finally seems to catch up to him. San sits up with a start, and Yunho winces when the sudden movement jostles him a little too much. San sits back on his heels and stares down at the werewolf, searching his expression like he’s trying to make sure the werewolf is really there. “You’re awake,” he breathes out. 

“Yeah,” Yunho confirms, consciously taking deep breaths. “How long was I out?” 

San runs his hand down from Yunho’s shoulder to his belly, running his hand along the werewolf’s stomach comfortingly. “A couple of days,” he answers. He tugs at the hem of Yunho’s shirt. “Can I take a look at it?” 

The werewolf nods his head, shifting so that San can lift his shirt up. “What happened?” he asks as San leans over his body to examine his wound. 

“Seonghwa and Hongjoong came,” San answers, pulling Yunho’s shirt back down. The skin around the wound has already closed up, just an angry red color still. 

“Seonghwa?” Yunho asks, eyebrows knitting together. “I thought he would have taken you with him.” 

San glances over to the other bed and settles back onto his heels. “I think it’s just been delayed for now,” he murmurs. Seonghwa hasn’t said anything to him yet. In fact, he’s been mostly avoiding San and Hongjoong, but the human figures it’s only a matter of time. 

He looks down when Yunho grabs San’s hands. “Don’t go,” the werewolf pleads. “If you go I know I won’t ever see you again.” San would be put on a tighter leash than ever. Yunho won’t say that he knows a lot about hunters, but he’s absolutely certain that San would effectively disappear if he returned home. 

“Would that be such a bad thing?” San questions. Maybe it would be the best case scenario for Yunho. The way the werewolf digs his nails into San’s skin suggests otherwise, however. 

“I’ll fight him if I have to,” Yunho promises. 

The human shakes his head, twisting his hands around to take hold of Yunho’s and moving it over to his stomach. “Don’t. I wouldn’t go because I want to go back. I’d go because I’ve caused enough trouble for everyone.” 

“What about me?” 

“ _You_ almost died,” San reminds him. 

“Then we’re even,” Yunho counters. “You almost died when I wasn’t here.” 

San laughs, the sound not entirely full of humor. “You should rest for now,” he says to change the subject. “We can talk about this later.” Yunho frowns, appearing less than satisfied by San’s suggestion. The human lays himself down next to the werewolf again, snuggling into his side. “Sleep,” he commands, his eyes slipping shut as well as he tries to chase a few more hours of sleep. 

Yunho reaches around and places his hand on San’s hip, and the human tries not to shudder at the touch. They’re nowhere near closure yet, and San still doesn’t know if he’s ready for it either. 

  
  
  
  


Yeosang shows up that same afternoon, looking pleased when everyone is still there and evidently in decent shape. Hongjoong scrambles off his bed to greet the warlock while Seonghwa quickly excuses himself to step outside on the balcony. He’s really been avoiding everyone in the hotel room for the most part. It’s been hard looking at San when he knows he still has a duty to perform, but he can tell San doesn’t want to talk about it yet. To be fair, Seonghwa isn’t really ready to talk about it either. 

He scrubs his face with his hands at just the thought of having to bring San back. Would it even help? Haneul was gone now. What if he was sent to retrieve _her_ next? Plus there was still the prospect of taking San back there when he clearly didn’t want to go anyways. Seonghwa isn’t sure what to do. 

Then there’s Hongjoong. The two of them have hardly spoken two words to each other since Seonghwa brought everyone back to the hotel. Even so, Seonghwa swears he can still feel the fae’s arms around him and his lips pressed against his from time to time. It gives him goosebumps. He shivers at the thought even now. 

The balcony door slides open, and Seonghwa jumps, turning around to face his intruder. Yeosang peeks his head out to look at Seonghwa before taking a step out onto the balcony. Seonghwa watches him warily. “You did a good job,” the warlock compliments before Seonghwa even has a chance to say anything. 

The hunter blinks. “Me?” he points to himself. He’s fairly certain he failed by ever standard personally.

“Yes. Everyone is alive, Haneul is in good hands now, San is mostly unharmed, Yunho is healing nicely, and Hongjoong....” he trails off for a moment, smiling at Seonghwa when he raises his eyebrows. “Well, Hongjoong is subdued for now, so I guess that’s good.” 

“What are you going to do with Haneul?” Seonghwa asks. 

“Nothing bad. She needs to be away from her father’s influence. They’re very similar, the siblings.” 

Seonghwa would have snorted. Instead he says, “So I’ve heard.” 

“What about you? Will you take San back with you?” Seonghwa sucks in a sharp breath. It doesn’t sound so much like a question as it does a challenge. He doesn’t answer for a long moment, staring down at the rail of the balcony with his lips pulled down into a frown. Yeosang cocks his head at his behavior. “You don’t know?” the warlock guesses. 

Seonghwa grimaces at the accusation. “I don’t think I could even if I wanted to,” he admits. Forget Yunho for a moment, Wooyoung had been consistently coming by to make sure San was still present and accounted for, plus Seonghwa doesn’t think Yeosang would let him take the younger boy either. He’d taken Haneul for god’s sake. However, Seonghwa still faced a very real problem. “If I don’t bring him back with me, I probably won’t be welcomed back.” 

“Most certainly not,” Yeosang agrees. “Even so, you’re unsure. I can help you, you know. You and San. I’ll consider you a packaged deal of sorts.” 

The hunter rubs at his eyes, shaking his head at the warlock’s offer. “I’m not like San. Being a hunter is all I know.”

“Then become a legitimate hunter,” Yeosang suggests as if it is the obvious choice. 

“I _was_ a legitimate hunter,” Seonghwa laments. The warlock tries to hide his smile at the human’s choice of referring to his profession in the past tense.

“You were a legitimate hunter by their standards,” Yeosang argues. “Perhaps you should become one by your own standards. It’s not as if your services aren’t warranted. I think you’ll just find that you may not be needed as much as you like, but humans still die because of us sometimes, and even clan wars can be messy and lead to loss of human life.” He peers over to Seonghwa who’s staring off into the distance, thinking over the warlock’s proposal. “Who knows? You might find it more fulfilling than mindlessly killing whoever you find. And you might even have a partner waiting in the wings for you.” 

Seonghwa finally turns to Yeosang at the suggestion. “San doesn’t want to hunt,” he says. He’s not sure he really blames his partner, considering he’d nearly killed Yunho once. Yeosang isn’t looking at him, though, his gaze fixed on the door looking into the hotel room.

“I wasn't talking about San,” Yeosang denies. 

Seonghwa follows the warlock’s gaze, eyes settling on Hongjoong. The fae is standing next to Yunho’s bed side, his hands planted on the mattress as he converses with the werewolf. “You’re kidding.” 

Yeosang turns to Seonghwa and blinks owlishly at him. “Why? Was it funny?” 

“No.” 

“Then why would you think I’m kidding?” Seonghwa struggles to find something to say to that, ultimately sighing as he concedes defeat to the warlock. When Seonghwa fails to say anything in response, Yeosang glances back to his fae friend, tilting his head to the side. “He’s fond of you,” he notes. 

Seonghwa snorts to try and hide any other unsavory reaction he might, “I’m pretty sure he hates me.” He tries hard to bury the memory of Hongjoong’s lips.

“I thought you hated him too, but you don’t, do you?” Yeosang looks at him knowingly. “Think about my offer. You’re clearly not ready to return to your hunting clan, and I can’t imagine a hotel room is all that comfortable.” 

He moves forward to leave, figuring the hunter needs some time and space to figure out what his next move is. “And if I take your offer,” Seonghwa says, stopping Yeosang in his tracks, “what about the clan? They wouldn’t let San go? You think they’ll let me go? Especially when it’s clear that _both_ siblings have disappeared? I found San. You’re not infallible.” 

Yeosang pivots around to face him, crossing his arms over his chest. “I concede that you did, in fact, find San, but look at what you did to do so. You cooperated with a fae and asked a warlock for help. Do you think anyone else in your clan would be capable of doing such a thing? Do you think any of them would even think about it?” 

Seonghwa purses his lips together. He supposes Yeosang has a point, and the warlock knows it because he smiles at the hunter. “Talk to San and let me know what your decision is.” He opens the door of the balcony, tipping his head towards the hunter. “I look forward to working with you.”

Seonghwa narrows his eyes when the warlock leaves him alone out on the balcony. That’s some confidence he has. He jumps when San stumbles out a moment later, the door shutting behind him, and the younger bangs his hand against the door. It remains shut, though, and San reluctantly turns to face Seonghwa. 

They stare at each other for a moment, both of them on edge. Finally, Seonghwa leans forward against the railing, looking down at the city below them. For a moment he taps his fingers together thoughtfully, wondering how to breach this topic with his partner and cursing Yeosang’s clear lack of patience. “When we agreed to take care of Yunho and Hongjoong quietly, you never had any intention of actually doing it, did you?” Seonghwa asks. 

San looks around, pretending not to know what Seonghwa is talking about. “What, me? No, I was working on it. Other things just came up and—”

“I found him at his old job, San,” Seonghwa interrupts, staring pointedly at his partner. San laughs nervously at that, rubbing his palms together. “Because he never actually moved jobs like you told me he did.” 

“Uh, did I say that? Oops. I guess I meant to tell you that he was ridiculously easy to find, and I totally had a handle of the situation.” 

Seonghwa smiles at him, finding that he’s not as annoyed as he would have thought. Actually, he’s rather endeared by San’s behavior. “What’s going on with you and Yunho?” he finally asks. 

San startles at the question. “We—” he hesitates, looking down at his feet. “I don’t know. I didn’t really expect to see him again. Ever. But then he suddenly showed up here, and I thought that maybe we could fix things, but now…” he trails off. He swallows thickly. “I meant what I said the other night. I know that I put you in a really difficult spot, and I’m sorry. If you want to take me back home, I won’t fight you. I just—please leave Yunho out of it. He’s never done anything to warrant a hunter’s attention.” 

Seonghwa suppresses a laugh as he stares down at his hands. “Oh, San,” he tuts with a little shake of his head. “What am I supposed to do with you?” 

“Stop staring at them,” Yeosang chides. Yunho can’t help it. He nibbles on his fingers nervously as he stares at the hunters standing out on the balcony, discussing something. 

“I can’t lose him again after all this,” Yunho snaps, bouncing his leg. 

“You can’t stop them if they decide to leave,” Hongjoong tells him. 

Yunho stares up at the fae standing over him. “I can.” He curls his hands into tight fists and stands up from the bed only to immediately grunt when Hongjoong shoves him back down without much of a fight. With a hiss, he cups his side, still sore from his injury.

Yeosang can’t help but smile, fingers tapping against the wall he’s leaning against as he looks over at his two friends. “You won’t have to,” he assures Yunho. The werewolf twists around to look at him, and his smile widens. “I don’t think either of them want to go back. But if Seonghwa decides that he wants to take them back, I’m sure Hongjoong will stop him for you.” 

The fae sputters at the accusation. “ _Me_? Why would I do that?” 

Yeosang just raises his eyebrows at his friend, feeling nice enough to not embarrass him in front of Yunho, and the fae quickly averts his gaze. He’s used to having the upper hand on Yeosang. Suddenly, he hates the feeling that he’s squirming beneath the warlock’s palm. “He looks just like him, doesn’t he?” the warlock asks, referring to Seonghwa. 

Hongjoong hisses at him, glancing at Yunho who looks lost. He clearly doesn’t know what they’re talking about. “He’s not him.” 

“No,” Yeosang agrees with a tilt of his head. “But you still like him, don’t you? How did he manage to make a fae like you swoon though?” He crosses his arms and cocks his head like he can’t comprehend his own question, even as he smiles knowingly at the fae. “I mean, I get that he’s got a familiar face. Very attractive, I must admit, but he’s still—” 

“Yeosang, _shut up_.” 

The warlock continues to grin at him. “I saw you when I got there, you know. You were literally on his lap and,” he purses his lips together when Yunho isn’t looking, blowing kisses at the fae. Hongjoong looks ready to lunge across Yunho’s bed to get at the warlock, but they’re interrupted by the balcony door opening. All of them turn to look as the hunters step back into the hotel room. 

Yunho sits up straighter, eyes meeting San’s. The human rushes over to him, arms out as he folds the werewolf into his arms. Yunho’s heart momentarily drops as he braces himself for the worst. He wraps his arms around San’s waist, holding him close and terrified that this might be a last hug type of thing. But then San whispers in his ear, “Let’s go home.” Yunho visibly relaxes in his arms, resting his head against the human’s chest. 

Despite San’s words, Yeosang is the first to excuse himself, smiling at Seonghwa as he promises to get in touch with the hunter soon. San leaves with Yunho not too long afterwards, leaving Hongjoong alone with Seonghwa, and a tense silence falls over them.

Seonghwa eventually bends down to grab his bag from the floor, tossing it onto one of the beds as he begins to pack up stray articles of clothing. Hongjoong observes him with a slowly growing sense of alarm. “Are you leaving?” he squeaks, sounding more panicked than he intends. 

Seonghwa pauses in his packing. “No,” he answers slowly. He picks up a shirt from the floor and discreetly stuffs it into his bag. Why does he feel like he’s doing something criminal? “I’m just...preparing myself is all.” 

“Oh.” Another beat of silence passes between them. “So, what will you do now?” 

Hesitating, Seonghwa slowly zips his bag close. “I don’t know,” he answers truthfully. Returning home wasn’t an option anymore. He let San go, and Yeosang took Haneul. It would cause a storm with the clan, and their father would be furious. Seonghwa doesn’t know that he likes the thought of giving up on hunter, but he finds he doesn’t really mind the idea of not returning to that family. “What about you? You got what you wanted, right? Our deal’s been fulfilled.” 

“I didn’t,” Hongjoong snorts. “I was trying to stop Yunho from throwing himself back into his relationship with San.” Yunho was safe but still so obviously smitten with the human. Hongjoong knew he wouldn’t be able to convince the werewolf to abandon the hunter again, so, in that sense, he supposes he failed. 

“Ah. So, you’re against it?” 

“Aren’t you?” 

Seonghwa shrugs his shoulders. “I think that whatever I think about their relationship doesn’t matter in the least bit to those two,” he jokes.

Hongjoong can’t help but smile at that. “Yeah, I suppose that’s true. I guess we both failed then in that sense.” 

The hunter nods his head in agreement. Pursing his lips together, Seonghwa finally turns to face the fae. “So, you want to get drinks or something later? Celebrate our failed mission or something of the like?” 

“Yeah, sounds like a great idea.” Hongjoong grins at him. 

  
  
  
  


Yunho tilts his head back, laying his head on the back of the office chair when San comes up behind him, resting his elbows against the top of the chair to peer at the computer screen. “Hey,” the werewolf greets. San smiles when he looks down at Yunho. Instead of returning his greeting, San leans down to peck him on the lips. Yunho hums in delight, reaching up to thread his fingers through San’s hair, pulling him in for another kiss. This one is deeper, more prolonged, as Yunho arches up into the kiss. 

He still has to remind himself from time to time that the human is safe and sound. For the most part. The first few days after they returned to San’s small apartment had been tense to say the least. The adrenaline crash seemed to hit them both hard, and they danced around each other like they were constantly walking on eggshells due to the uncertainty of it all. 

San had said Seonghwa more or less let him go. “He says I can do what I want, and that he’ll leave you and your fae friend alone,” he told Yunho when the werewolf asked. It had been an almost infuriatingly vague release because the threat of San’s family still seemed to loom above them. 

Beyond that, there had just been a weird adjustment period between the two of them in general. For all the desperate affection San had demonstrated before, he suddenly withdrew more after returning home. He seemed self conscious with his touches and always cut any kisses short if he even allowed them at all. It felt weird being that way with Yunho. He loved him. God did he love him, his chest constantly aching when the werewolf would press a kiss to his cheek or brush his hair away from his eyes, but it just didn’t feel quite right still. They weren’t the same as they used to be. 

Yunho behaved equally as oddly too. He was clearly restless and irritable, and he would become alarmingly upset whenever San left his sight. So much so, the werewolf had taken to not only following him to work but would then just sit around to keep an eye on him. It felt more like he was his babysitter than his boyfriend. It didn’t help that he’d become oddly aggressive either, snapping at Seonghwa when he came to visit and once scaring Wooyoung so badly the mermaid hid from the two of them in the back room for the rest of the night. 

It hadn’t been until one of Mingi’s rare visits that San finally received some insight into what was going on with him. Yunho was being particularly difficult that night, taking an immediate and obvious dislike to the other werewolf which had, frankly, stunned the human. Yunho wasn’t a difficult person, and he got along with others fairly well, so why? 

His behavior had been poor enough to finally spark Wooyoung’s anger again, and he and the mermaid engaged in an argument whereby Wooyoung continuously threatened to kick him out of the bar if he didn’t stop acting like a feral dog while Yunho dared him to try. It was during that argument that Mingi had leaned over to ask him if he was Yunho’s mate. 

San blanched at the question. “Mate?” he repeated. 

Mingi nodded his head. “Did something happen?” 

“What do you mean?” 

The werewolf had sighed. “Werewolves are the type to mate for life, you know? He’s acting like someone who isn’t sure that he succeeded in courting you. Or that he’s scared he’ll lose you. That’s why he’s being aggressive.” 

San filed that information away in his mind, only pulling it out again later after he was off of work and had thoroughly scolded Yunho for his behavior. The werewolf shrank at the human’s words as San chided him for his attitude towards Wooyoung and Mingi before ultimately saying he wasn’t allowed to stay at the bar during his working hours anymore. Yunho had sputtered, protests immediately falling from his lips because what if something happened? What if San’s family found him or worse? 

But San had just leaned across the kitchen table with a smug grin on his face. “So werewolves mate for life?” he questioned. 

Yunho frowned at him. “Yes. Why?” 

“How’d you manage to break up with me then?” 

The werewolf almost immediately became subdued, fingers fiddling with each other on top of the table. “Very painfully,” he admitted in a quiet voice. “And I did a very crappy job at staying away. Obviously.” He winced from the memory of it all. 

“Is that how you view me? As your mate?” San asked curiously. It was a foreign concept to him as a human, but the way Yunho perked up at the question had him thinking that perhaps it wasn’t so bad. “Is that how you always thought about me?” 

“It was weird to say it before,” Yunho admitted. “I thought you were a normal human. I didn’t want to call you something weird like that.” He narrowed his eyes at the way San squirmed in his chair. “Why? Can I call you that now?” he asked slowly. 

San eagerly nodded his head. “It sounds more intimate than boyfriend,” he noted with a little upturn of his lips. Honestly, he thought the whole thing downright sexy when Mingi had told him, but he wasn’t quite ready to come out and say that. “I like the sound of it. Being your mate, I mean.” 

San cups Yunho’s chin with one hand, fingers stroking along the strong line of Yunho’s jaw. It sends a shiver down the werewolf’s spine. San finally pulls away with a little gasp, his breath hot against Yunho’s lips. The werewolf has half a mind to kiss him again, but San starts speaking, making it a lot more difficult. 

“Any luck?” the human asks, glancing at the computer screen. 

Yunho forces himself to set up right, nodding his head in answer to San’s question. “Yeah, I got one offer for an interview already. I’m still sending in some applications though just to be safe.” 

“Oh, look at you,” San coos, pressing his fists gently against Yunho’s cheeks. “Anyone would be lucky to hire you.” 

“Don’t get too excited,” Yunho says as he bats San’s hands away from him. “I haven’t been hired yet.” 

San turns the office chair around so Yunho is facing him, and he climbs into the werewolf’s lap. “I’m not worried about it. You’ll find a job. I feel bad about making you move though.” 

Yunho wraps his arms around the human, holding him close. He tilts his head to lean against the human’s, and he nuzzles his cheek against San’s hair. “Don’t feel bad,” he tells San. “I already told you that I messed up by letting you go to begin with. I’ll follow you wherever.” 

“Still.” San presses a little kiss to the base of Yunho’s neck. 

“Are you working tonight?” Yunho asks. San hums in answer. “I’ll walk you.” 

“I knew you would,” San sings. “Wooyoung will walk me home though, so seriously, get some sleep tonight. You have some crazy dark circles.” He runs his thumbs gently underneath Yunho’s eyes. The werewolf hasn’t been sleeping well lately, a combination of forcing himself to stay up late enough to pick San up from work and his own constant fear of hunters snatching San off the street leading to an almost complete lack of sleep. It was clearly starting to concern San. 

“I will,” Yunho assures him, even though he has no idea if he actually will sleep. He likes Wooyoung, trusts the mermaid to take care of San, but he just doesn’t know if he trusts that the mermaid can physically protect him if need be. However, he promised San he wouldn’t stay up late to pick him up. “Any updates on your family?” he asks, searching for some sense of relief since he has to give up San’s safety to Wooyoung later. 

San pulls away with a shake of his head. He plays with Yunho’s bangs, brushing them away from his forehead as a way to distract himself. “Seonghwa’s been keeping an eye out for them, but there’s no indication that they’re close or even know that we’re here. I don’t doubt that they’re looking though.” 

“And your sister?” 

“Yeosang says she’s adjusting, but she still wants to be a hunter,” San answers. He’s not sure if she still believes that Yeosang had something to do with their mother’s death. “Yeosang thinks he can rehabilitate her at any rate.” 

“You don’t sound so certain yourself,” Yunho observes. 

San shrugs his shoulders a bit listlessly. “It’s not that I don’t believe the old her is still there somewhere I just—” He presses his lips together. How can he phrase this? She’s his sister, and San loves her. Really. But their relationship hasn’t been the same in years, and she had tried to drag San back home and nearly killed Yunho in the process. “I’ll visit her eventually. Just not now,” he finally settles on. 

Yunho runs his fingers gently along San’s ribcage. “I’m okay with whatever you want,” he tells the human. 

San perks up at his statement. “You’re okay with anything?” he asks, eyes gleaming in a way that both alarms and excites Yunho. 

“If it’s what you want,” he reiterates. 

With a smile, San drapes his arms back over Yunho’s shoulders, pressing their bodies together tight. “THen I would very much like you to take me to bed and _thoroughly_ make out with me before I go to work.” 

Yunho’s stomach does a flip as heart pounds against his ribcage. He releases a heavy breath and moves his hands down to cup the bottom of San’s ass, making sure he has a good grip on him before he lifts them both up in one fluid motion. “I will gladly comply with that request,” Yunho says as he walks them over to the bed. He drops San down onto his back, quickly crawling over the human as San languidly stretches himself out. 

Yunho catches San’s lips in a heated kiss. The human arches up into him as he buries his fingers into Yunho’s hair. The werewolf pulls away to a small little huff of protest from San, and he smiles down at him. “Don’t worry,” Yunho promises, “I’ll make sure Wooyoung will be pissed when you go in.” 

San laughs at his declaration and pulls him in close. “Good. I’ll hold you to it.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest thing I've ever wrote and listen, I know this ending probably isn't super satisfying for everyone but I really like kind of ambiguous/open endings. I like the idea of a threat still kind of looming over them because...i'm an asshole. idk. 
> 
> Also, I know the seongjoong wasn't as satisfying as I wanted BUT I DIDN'T KNOW HOW ELSE TO WRITE THEM. I'M SORRY.

**Author's Note:**

> I worked really hard to ruin your days you guys. 
> 
> Also don't @ me being San at the end constantly checking my phone like I have friends. Hah! (I don't really have friends. I have, like, two) So this is me bringing everyone (I mean whoever hates themselves enough to read this) down with me. 
> 
> Would small chapters, a large part, or a series of stories be the best way to release the next half...two-thirds of this? idk. I gotta think about it 
> 
> Thank you guys for reading (*꒦ິ꒳꒦ີ)


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